


Into the Unknown

by Bear_Out_Of_Hundred_Acre_Wood, Punk_Hateful



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Escape, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Other, Past Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-07-16 12:25:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 27,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16086062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bear_Out_Of_Hundred_Acre_Wood/pseuds/Bear_Out_Of_Hundred_Acre_Wood, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punk_Hateful/pseuds/Punk_Hateful
Summary: A breakout in Mierda Facility brings the lives of Noodle, Russel, Murdoc and 2-D, colliding together. Watch as the group tries to survive in a world where their freedom comes at a price and they struggle with their own inner demons.





	1. The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Well, if you are reading this welcome and I'm happy to welcome you to my first story. I was super nervous to write this but luckily I had help from an amazing person under the name of Winnieisnotabear. This is a different twist on the Gorillaz Fandom so I hope you guys enjoy this. Here is some basic information about the story before you guys start.
> 
> Originated in San Bernardino, California.  
> 2-D: Telekinesis, uses his powers the most, painful.  
> Totally out of it for the first half.  
> Noodle: Super-soldier. She’s a… super… soldier…  
> First chap in her perspective, stops Muds from leaving, saves 2D  
> Murdoc: Immortal, every time he “dies”, he spends some time in Hell serving his sentence. Embarrassed so pretends to have a more powerful power that he’s unable to use because danger, shh. In reality, just doesn’t want to be put in situations where he dies/goes back to Hell. Organized? break out, self-interest.  
> Cortez: Is the source of Murdoc’s powers. raven gets hurt, Murdoc gets hurt.  
> Russel: Had the ability to control souls that have done their time (shadows), but refuses to use it to its full extent. Can mask things/people. Knows a hand full of spells but that’s just because he refuses to use his power properly

A high pitched tone filled the complex, masking the sounds of bullets and chaos. Loud unexplainable bangs and other undetermined noise fought back. It was a literal war zone. Flashing lights of the sirens plunged the corridors from a sickly bright red to the dark shadows of the windowless halls. Bright red into darkness, bright red into darkness, bright red into darkness. Over and over again. In a deferent situation, it may be called mesmerizing.

Noodle was made for this. Was made to walk around in the dark. Was made to stay calm under pressure. Was made for the carnage of war.

Part of her felt a deep pit of guilt about not helping the revolution. For not putting her natural talents to use. But she was strategic enough to know it was a battle not worth the fight. Sure, they would be able to make those who hurt them pay, but they will only be replaced. Once their fight was fought, they would only be enslaved again.

No. Noodle couldn’t let that happen. She knew what they had install for her later in life, and she would do anything to prevent that from happening.

What triggered the sudden mutiny was unclear. There didn’t seem to be much of a plan about it and no one seemed to be fighting their way _out_. It was like someone said something that triggered another, and once one domino was down, the rest simply followed. At this point, Noodle wouldn’t be shocked if the inmates around her choose to burn the place down, sacrificing themselves to win back their power.

Noodle seemed to be one of the only people who was actually trying to leave, slipping through the aftermath of past battles. She wondered if others had already done gone. Others that were also using the situational distraction to their advantage. Surely there must be. Those that also knew a fight wouldn’t save them, whether it was the training or their futures, some lives would be spared above most. Noodle hoped the other “special few” were able to realise that.

Stepping over bodies of her allies and enemies, Noodle tried her best to navigate through the signless corridors and identical rooms, but even her advanced skills couldn’t find the way out of the deliberately confusing maze.

An automated message was being played every ten minutes, replacing the nail scraping tone. The robotic female informed that everyone was to say calm and in their rooms, that everything was being handled in a professional manner and patients were to remain in their stationary positions until further instruction.

A feeling of disgust was trying to boil up inside Noodle, but the small girl forced it down. In which situation did they think such a message was going to work? In what reality was that ever going to be listened to?

Noodle continued on her venture to freedom, breathing heavily as she ignored how isolated she felt. She stuck close to the walls to avoid being spotted, surprised by how many one on one fights were happening. Away from the main conflict behind her, there were still a surprising amount of guards focusing on getting the stray aways down and back in line. Back to their cells. Back to their own little personalized hell.

All of the doors were open, those held captive walking free as soon as they were able. She didn’t know if the doors unlocking was planned, or if it was apart of the automated system. Either way the doors were unlocked and then opened, as is human nature to do something for the first time with seemingly no consequence. So imagine the girl’s surprise to find one door locked.  

Her survival skills made her look in each room she easily could, in case she discovered something important or useful. But when one of the doors wouldn’t swing open with a light tap, intrigue took over her. _Why was it still locked tight?_

Grabbing the door handle with a firm grip, the young girl was able to pull the door off its hinges like a band-aid off a wound, the thick metal being rested against the wall as quietly as she could.

The room was darker than the corridor, the red light not reaching the far side, only illuminating the empty entrance. Unlike the other cells, where the inmates had at least some personalization, Noodle could tell this room was unloved.

However, in the darkest corner of the room, Noodle could see a multitude of flickering lights, blues, yellows and reds flashing with a rhythm.

Stepped inside the mostly empty room, her advanced eyes adjusted to see much better then most in the lack of light. They adjusted to see a person restrained to a chair, the flickering lights coming from a monitor on a machine. The machine was connected the boy with wires and tubes. They were connected to his entire top half, but the majority were attached to his head.

She recognized the boy from halls, inmates weren’t allowed to talk to each other, and doing so can lead to some pretty brutal punishments. But that didn’t stop them from acknowledging each other, sharing looks of understanding or remorse. A friendly smile or a nod of greeting.

Not him. Noodle was sure the boy spent his waking life drugged out of his mind, with his eyes always half open and drool going down the side of his face. The girl had never even seen him blink, let alone acknowledge the world around him.

There was a lager feeling of remorse when Noodle saw the boy. Even his schedule seemed worse. One week constantly being passed from one room to another. The next he isn't seen once.

The facility wouldn’t have put so much time and effort into him if they didn’t think he was worth it. In this situation, being worth it was one of the worst things you could be. There was no way Noodle was going to leave this poor kid to suffer whatever fate they had in store for him.

Now stood besides his lifeless body, Noodle reached out one of her finger's to poked the young male’s cheek for no response. Not even a twitch, or a change in his shallow breath. But she knew he was alive, the machine was telling her that, right?

Taking off the restraints that kept him in the chair was easy, but the idea that he would need them was confusing. He always seemed like such a gentle giant who’s far too out of it to put up any type of fight. Now he was no longer tied down to the plastic covered metal, Noodle reached out to the machine that was connected to the young boy’s head and chest, the girl was a lot of things, but a doctor wasn’t one of them, and so she took a moment to narrow her eyes and all the information the machine provided before landing on one that turned off the power. Hopefully doing so didn’t kill him. Hopefully. Without the flickering lights, Noodle’s eyes needed to adjust, the red of the siren outside making the process slower than it should be.

Now she only had to unhook the wires that were sticking out of his head and they were good to go. He still wasn’t moving... _He was alive when she got here, right?_ He didn’t walk around attached to the thing, so Noodle knew he could live without out it. Right?

Having already pushed the boy past the point of return, Noodle took hold of one of the wires in his head, they looked like they were embedded pretty deep into his skull. Pulling them out was going to hurt, but what other option did they have?

As the wire was becoming more exposed from the boy’s scalp, the smell of copper hit the girls nose. This was causing him to bleed, but Noodle buried down the new feeling of guilt and continued her task. Pulling the wires out with more confidence that this was the right thing to do. Once finished, her fingers felt wet and stick but the darkroom and red light disguised what it was, just like it disguised what was coating the floors outside.

Noodle hated blood, and the idea of having her hands covered in it made her want to retch. A lot of her training was focused on getting over this fact, and she needed to use a few of those techniques now to push through with saving the boy. He still wasn’t moving, and it seems the girl was going to carry the male to safety. That’s fine, she’s lifted dumbbells with more mass than him.

Placing him on her shoulder was no issue, and Noodle made her way back to the semi-lit hallway. However, as she walked, she noticed his arms dragged along the floor. This boy was _way_ too long for the small girl to carry without issue. Noodle frowned a little at the discovery, hopefully he wouldn’t get too scraped up as they went. But there was no time to do anything about it, she’ll apologise when he wakes.

Reverting back to her tack tick of sticking to the walls was more difficult with the passenger, but she was still able to blindly navigate the halls without being spotted. After hearing the automated message a few more times, Noodle came across a corridor that seemed where a lot of the remaining security was stationed down. At first, the girl thought they were busy with other patients. But there didn’t seem to be many cells in the area, and she couldn’t make out the pale uniforms between the darker clothed guards. Surely this was the way out then? That’s why they had this corridor so protected. If it was just Noodle, she could have easily fought her way through. But with the deadweight of the boy, maybe that wasn’t the best plan of action.

She could hear commands coming down one of the halls, the silhouette of multiple guards seen through the shadows. “Shoot!” and there was an array of bullets, seemingly being fired at each other. The sound of the guards' heavy boots could be heard at the corridors other end and as soon as the situation occurred, it ended. As the red light lit the space once again, it was empty, and Noodle didn’t know if that was the floor or a carpet of bodies. She didn’t want to think about it.

The small girl crept further down the hallway, the boy's lanky limbs dragging awkwardly behind her. She didn’t so much as have a plan, but she knew if it came to anything her instincts would be able to carry through. There was almost a sense of paranoia, Noodle kept looking behind her, the feeling of being followed was strong and difficult to shrug off. Every time she looked, she was met with nothing other than an empty hall. It was during one of these paranoid checks that the girl bumped into something, stumbling back almost as though she bounced. Noodle was shocked to discover a lumbering giant standing in front of her. His large frame blocking most of the narrow hallway, the red light flashing behind him unable to take over the strong shadow he presented, Noodle wondered how on earth she could have missed his presence before.

If it wasn’t for the small smile that appeared on his face, Noodle would have been concerned he was a threat. But she knew this person too, as someone no one messed with, choosing to keep mostly to himself even when they were given the rare recreation time. His voice was deep, reaching Noodle’s core, but also so quiet she almost missed the words, “That’s the way out,” he looked down the hallway at the guards, “If you stick close to me we should be able to slip through without any issue.” The man looked back down at the little girl, watching as she shrugged the immobilized boy back onto her tiny shoulder before leading the way.

The two made their way through the final set of halls slowly, the large man was surprisingly good at hiding in the shadows for his size. At times, if Noodle wasn’t looking directly at him, it was almost as though he was apart of them. Not long after the trio joined together was there another ground shaking bang, but the cause was indistinguishable from the noise, but a number of guards came running down the hallway, away from the cause. Noodle was slightly worried about the patient that scared them so much, but they needed to continue that way and worrying would make that fact harder to act upon. The two conscious inmates shared a look, and it was clear the larger man had the same concern, but he still lead the way down the hallway to freedom.

Having the boy's limbs drag around was causing Noodle’s creeping ability to worsen. Not to mention the dry sound it was creating could draw unwanted attention from the guards that were still left in front of them. Her new companion seemed to realise this as well, “Let me take him.” Noodle looked up at the lumbering giant who held his arms open with a serious drow. She was reluctant to comply, looking down to the boy’s drawing face that lolled uncomfortably at her front.

If the man wanted to do them harm, he surely would have done it already. Nothing about him made Noodle suspicious, and so she slowly slipped the unconscious boy from her, and held him out for the older male to take. With a respectful nod, he pushed the boy onto his own wider shoulder, where he fit a lot more securely and no longer dragged along the ground.

Feeling more agile and able, Noodle took over the role of led. Although the large man seemed to have kept them in the shadows nicely, they were nearing the main mass of the waiting guards. If something was to go wrong, Noodle would need to step up and protect the others. She made a decision at that moment that no matter what happened to her, the other two were getting out alive and well.

Thankfully a fight didn’t need to be fought as just before the trio became close enough to be noticed, the man took ahold of Noodle’s shoulder, stopping her from continuing on. She looked back to see him point towards a normal, wooden door. It wasn’t secure enough to belong to a cell, but the way the man gestured told Noodle it was locked. Checking to make sure the remaining guards still haven’t noticed them before she took hold of the simple handle lock, and pushed it open, the bold inside the frame popping out with a little crack. One of the guards looked around at the noise, but as his eyes danced over where the trio stood frozen, it was like he simply didn’t see them there, looking away once again, shrugging off the peculiar sound.

Noodle released the breath she had held and pushed the door open, slipping inside the cold storeroom with caused eyes. It was one of the largest rooms Noodle has been in, it was clearly never meant to have the patients in it. Somehow the lumbering giant knew his way around, guiding the way through the rows of tinned foods and poorly labelled boxes to a row of garage doors. Noodle didn’t need direction to run over to one of the metal plates and push it open. Due to her small frame, the man had to take over once she broke the lock and lifted it as high as it should.

It was the first time in what felt like forever that they had been outside. The bright sun stung the small girl’s sensitive eyes before she was able to readjust them. The fresh air was so clean in comparison to the chemically tainted gas that was pumped in through the facility. Both of them were still for a moment, enjoying the sun and air, Noodle closed her eyes and felt an uncontrollable smile slip onto her lips. Even if this was as far as they got, even if the guards were behind them ready to take them back in or fire, they had made it.

There was angry noise that pulled the pair out of their private moments, looking to where a small, old style camper van was sputtering and cracking. Noodle could see the man beside her provide a very concerned and cautious look, and he was about to pull the girl way when a green-skinned man came out from under the dash.

Noodle watched through the driver's side window as he hunched back over to try once again at what the girl guessed was hotwire the vehicle. A huge, pure black raven started to squawk beside him, the bird was being so loud Noodle was concerned the guards might hear from their station. It was an odd sight to see, and the way the crow was squawking suggested the man was speaking back as though they were arguing. Was that man really arguing with a bird?

“Go see if he’s able to help us,” the large man suggested, fully breaking the moment of clarity by giving her a light nug on the shoulder, prompting her to approach the van. “I’ll keep the boy hidden.” Noodle didn’t know what he really meant by that but as she walked forward, she turned to look back at them, the two males were gone. She ignored the unsettled feeling that developed to focus on her task.

Walking towards the van, Noodle could hear the green man’s growls more clearly, something about telling “Cortez,” to “Shut up”, except there were a lot more swear words thrown to it. Once close enough, Noodle tapped on the closed window with her finger, like a child disturbing an animal at the zoo. The disturbance was so unexpected, it caused the man to bang his head against the steering wheel, the young girl unable to stop the small giggle escaping through her lips, it was met with an evil glare.

There was a low string of curse words as he rolled the window down just enough to hear her ask, “助けてください,” the request was complied with a shy smile that would have melted the hearts of the toughest men.

The green man only blinked in confusion before turning away, ducking back under the wheel to continue hot wiring the van. Time was running out, getting that Lass to start that fire would only distract the guards for so long. It was already taking longer than he thought and he wasn’t really in the mood to speak to some unknown kid in a language he couldn’t understand. Finally the van sparked to life, Murdoc couldn’t help a quick fist bump that he hoped the girl didn’t notice.

Sitting up with too much enthusiasm, the man banged his head against the wheel for a second time, earning another laugh out the little shit that still stood at his window. Cortez went mental at the mockery, screeching at Noodle like she was causing him physical pain. She wasn’t, thank the Lord, but the bird's outburst caused a frown to take over her round face, and she walked off in a huff. Murdoc wasn’t concerned as he pushed his foot into the accelerator so hard he heard the metal underneath buckle.

Except, he didn’t go anywhere. The Winnebago revved and revved but… it just stayed stationary. Upon realising the rough looking man wasn’t going to help, Noodle had decided she was going to make him. Cracking her knuckles, the small girl had walked to the rear of the van, securing a tight grip on the bumper, she lifted the van slightly off the ground, just high enough to cause the tires to spun violently in the air.

Back inside the vehicle, Noodle could hear the green man yell out a muffled string of curse words before rolling the window down the remaining amount to crane his neck out. “The fuck you think you’re doing?! It’s only a matter of time before we are caught!”

“You’re caught,” the larger man corrected form his relaxed stance away from the scene playing out. The sudden realisation the little girl wasn’t alone caused Murdoc to jump once again, Cortez also screeching in surprise. “She can clearly take care of herself.” Without waiting for any type of acknowledgement or confirmation, he opened the side door of the Winnebago, dumping the boy’s vegetated state on the gross carpet before stepping in himself, the van shifted under the added weight.

Noodle then placed back wheels down, careful not to damage the suspension, she could hear the driver cussing out once again, “This wasn’t the fucking plan!” was all Noodle was able to catch as she also boarded the van. Now the intruders were fully intruding, Murdoc floored the accelerator once again, shooting them forward and away from the facility. If he thought he had time, he would have continued to argue, to kick the hijackers out and let them burn with the rest of the fuckers. But he didn’t have time.

The green man growled out the words, his fingers curling around the steering wheel. The lumbering giant who filled a substantial portion of the small space gave a thumbs up of praise to Noodle who sat herself down on the living spaces bench.

As the old camper sped away from the parking lot, ramming open the front gate that was surprisingly insecure, Noodle watched through the side window that as a few guards who finally noticed them tried to chase after. But it was no use. The small girl took in another deep breath, the smell of Winnebago more tainted than the fresh air of outside, she was finally free. Finally out of that dreadful building and ever horrible thing they had done to her. “今何,” questioned Noodle, unable to think of a life outside the strict routine life she is hopefully leaving for good.

“I don’t speak whatever fucking language that is,” The green man sneered at Noodle, “English please.”

“She wants to know the plan. Which I am also concerned about,” The lumbering giant sneered back as he took a seat beside the girl. He was sending a glare towards the green man who just kept his eyes on the road.

“We are getting as far away from that fucking place as we can!” The driver called out from the front, “Maybe then we can talk about plans.” That was a compromise they could all agree on, the van settled into silence. It might seem odd, for a group of escapees who have never fully met to find silence such a default with no awkwardness or uncomfortability. But these people have been silent for years, unable to speak to one another when in the company of guards, which, in Noodles case, was all the time. Silence was their conformity, their default, their mutual understanding that no words needed to be said.

Despite how comfortable they all were with the lack of noise, Noodle could tell the tensions between the two conscious males were high. The boy knocked out beside her was looking more like a corpse by the mile. Thoughts raced through her head, frowning at the images and concerned that her brain conjured up. She brought her short legs up against her chest, resting her head against them. Everything that had happened was catching up to her, the exhaustion caused by it making her eyes feel heavy. More happened in those few short hours (was it hours or minutes?) then the years the group had spent locked up.

The van came to a sharp stop, pulling Noodle out of her unsettled sleep harshly. She didn’t know where they were, but it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere with a sparsely used highway beside them. The green man’s face peered through the front seats, his bird companion fluttering to rest beside him. His beady eyes scanned over the stowaways that made their way into his van properly for the first time, what a bunch of misfits, “Right, names?” The man asked, getting straight to the point.

Noodle rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stretching her legs out in front of her. “Noodle,” she replied with a yawn and stretch. The green man frowned, but didn’t push, the girl wasn’t sure if that was her birth name, but it’s what she was called in the facility, that’s what she goes by now.

“Russel,” The large man answered, Noodle wondered if that was his birth name, and if it wasn’t why he assigned a real name, opposed to the code name she was given. Russel looked down at the still unconscious boy, “I have no idea about him. Seems to be totally out of it right now.” His tight lipped frown showed Noodle how concerned this idea made him, showing Noodle she was right to trust him. “What about you?”

The nameless man ground his teeth together. As if he was going to share his name with two random people and some composed kid. That break out was suppose to get him free and him free only. How the fuck did three randoms not only get out as well, but join him for a free ride? He was about to ignore the question, not give an answer in favour of pushing the conversation onto more important topics, but Cortez had another idea, cawing softly at the silence, warning the man that being shady right now wouldn’t be the best idea long term. Since when was Cortez concerned with being polite? “Murdoc,” the man finally revealed with a turned up lip, “And the crow is Cortez.” The bird made a noise of distaste at the newcomers who shared a look of confusion and concern.

Noodle turned her small, confused frown from Russel to the boy, his head slumped to the side and drool trickle slowly from his gaped mouth. “Jeez, did you guys pick up a dead body? That kid looks drugged out of his mind,” Murdoc commented with a dry chuckle, clearly placing judgment on the boy he didn’t deserve.

“We’ve all been drugged out of our minds before,” Russel was quick to remind the man. Although he didn’t know that for certain, being drugged into submission was common practice, and the way Murdoc shifted confirmed it was a practice he, indeed, familiar with. “The kid will be fine in a few hours.” He placed his large hand on Noodles slim shoulder, smiling with a parental pride, “You did the right thing getting him out.”

Noodle couldn’t help the small smile that came with the praise, nodding in agreement. The smile faded as she looked over to Murdoc. She didn’t know what it was, but something was off about him. Like, really off, “私はあなたを信用しない, くそじじい,” Her eyes narrowed at Murdoc, he may not speak the language but he had been around the block enough to know she was saying something about not liking him.

Russel huffed out in agreement, looking around the outdated camper, “What should we do about food, because honestly that shit they fed us was nothing.” As he spoke, the lumbering giant stood, the van rocking lightly under his weight as he walked to the front window, “Those vending machines out there should work for now. We’ll have to find something more substantial later on though.” The man then moved to the side door, the age of the vertical showing as it caught halfway through being opened, “I’ll go see what I can get out of it, you two stay here,” Russel smiled fondly at the girl, but it faded as soon as he caught eyes with Murdoc. He climbed out the van that shook under his weight.

Noodle looked down at the unconscious boy, she was growing concerned if he was actually alive or not. Leaning over to his spread out body on the ground, the girl pulled at one of his eyelids, his eyes appeared to be a pupil less white, which made it difficult to know if he was reacting to the sudden introduction of light. “Just kick him,” Murdoc suggested from his seat, “Not like the kid is going to feel anything,” The man sighed in annoyance, and Noodle looked up to glare at the mean and unnecessary suggestion.

“No, kick,” growled Noodle, Murdoc rolled his eyes, turning to share a look with the raven. The small girl wrapped her hands around the long boy’s narrow shoulders, shaking him slowly in an attempt at waking him. He felt so tiny in her hands, like if she shook him too much he would break in half. The shaking didn’t work, his body flowing with the shake like he was made of gelatin.

With a sigh of defeat she released him from her grip, his body crumbling back to the ground, Noodle winced at her carelessness. Cortez flew over to provide his attempt at waking the unconscious boy. The black feathered bird landed beside the boy’s (no longer bleeding) head and started to peek at his exposed forehead in quick succession.

Noodle was horrified, “Go away!” The girl yelled loudly, shooing the raven with both her hands. Screeching equally as loudly back, Cortez retreated back to his position besides Murdoc, who was snarling at the girl like she was in the wrong.

However, before the situation could increase in uncomfortability, the boy woke, shooting up into a seating position with wide, bewildered eyes and gaped mouth. He had sat up so quickly that even Noodle found herself pulling away from the possible threat. The boy blinked his eyes a couple of times in confusion. They were still the milky white from before, but with a blink they became a dark contrast of black. The boy took in deep, gasping breaths, as though the simple act was causing him a massitude of pain. A whimper escaped his lips and his eyes went back to white, his hands flying up to cradle the sides of his head. He fell back to the carpeted floor, eyes once again closed and arms lose beside himself.

Mordoc was the first to break the shocked silence, “What the fuck was that?” The man moved from his seat to stand beside Noodle, looking down at the boy with a confused frown. The girl automatically moved to stand between the two males, preventing Murdoc from getting any closer. Although shorter than both the boy and Russel, the older man was still considerably taller than the girl, and so when he looked down with a glare, Noodle had to crane her neck to match it.

The clear show of distrust caused Murdoc’s confused snarl to turn bitter, but Noodle stood her ground. With years of practice, the two were able to convey a lot without words, and eventually the green man stood back, “Fine,” he submitted, “I’m curious about him as well, y’know, you evil little thing,” mumbled Murdoc with an accompanying noise from Cortez.

Russel opened the door to the van at that moment, dropping what seemed to be everything the vending machines offered onto the ground around the boy’s limp legs. The small girl hadn’t realised how hungry she was, the breakout occurring before breakfast and it now being lunch time.

But the desire for food was not her main priority right now, “彼は生きています! 彼は動いた!” grinned Noodle happily, pointing down to where the boy was laid once again.

A large smile formed at the news, “Told you he would be fine. It would be better if he was able to stay awake though,” Russel’s smiled wearied as he looked over the boy’s wounded scalp and frail body.

However, his attention was torn when Noodle started to look over the packages that also littered the floor. The girl had never indulged in such brightly coloured foods before, despite her willingness to do so. In the facility, she had a strict diet of gray paste created with pure vitamins and minerals that Noodle needed to function to her best extent. The males had the same diet of personalised paste.

But unlike the males, even before the facility Noodle had a very strict diet, and this type of packaged food was never on the menu. Russel noticed how the girl was looking over everything with a cushioned desire, and a sad smile formed around his prompting, “Please, help yourself.” The small girl looked up at the lumbering giant before sitting herself down, legs crossed and digging in.

Both of the men watched her for a moment as she opened one packet, tried it, and then opened another, trying everything that was on offer, sometimes going back to something multiple times. “You should eat as well,” Murdoc was surprised to find the bigger man looking at him.

With a huff of a laugh, the green man made his way back to the driver's seat, “Whatever it is to you, I will wait until after that gremlin is done. Probably take my hand off.” Only Cortez acknowledged the attempt at humour as the man sat down with his arms crossing against his chest.

As the group once again settled into the familiar silence, Noodle looked down at the snack foods she was consuming, this was the first time she’s seen most of these packages. Some of them she knew, like _Coca-Cola_ or _Hershey's_ because the guards would have them while on patrol, but everything else? It drew a lot of attention to the fact Noodle didn’t know much of anything about the outside world, that this was the first taste of freedom she’s every experienced. The thought of it was exciting, yet, underwhelming. Her imagination had fantasized it too much, taking what she saw in passing to the extremes.

Even now, the group were confined to the van, still wearing their identical uniforms and silent. The only things different from the facility was the beige tones and junk foods. But Noodle found this comforting, because it scared her, not knowing what was going to happen next. There was no memory of life she wanted to get back to. No understanding of what it was like to truly be free.

Thinking about that suggested they were going to stay free. Noodle knew they would already be clearing up the mess of the breakout cause. Already be looking into who was there or not. Already be putting together a plan to get them back. People like them shouldn’t be out in the real world. That’s what she was told whenever the small girl asked. It wasn’t safe for anyone when she wasn’t trained.

No, the facility will get them back eventual. Thinking about this make the young girl stop eating, looking at the packages around her, the new flavours, the new favourites, understanding what they represented on a much deeper level than simply food.

The small girl was spiralling, and Russel could see it, her tiny hand still in a chip packet. He placed a firm hand on her shoulder, grounding her to the reality. “They won’t take us back there, Noodle,” he promised softly, “You’re free forever now.” As she looked up with saddened eyes, his heart broke a little, “Noodle I _promise_ you.” He was glad to see the small smile of trust and belief take over the sadness, they stayed like that for a moment, looking at each other with trust and honesty until Noodle turned back to the food.

Murdoc watched the heartwarming scene silently, arms still crossed and scowling about how they shouldn’t have gotten out in the first place, “We should get moving,” he stated as Noodle ate a handful of chips. “They would be clearing the place up by now,” He continued with a groan as he bent down to snatch up one of the still sealed chocolate bars from the ground.

“Yeah, we are sitting ducks here,” Russel agreed taking back his seat on the campers bench, “We need to change as well, something more inconspicuous, to slip through crowds easier.”

“Like you can slip through crowds,” Murdoc commented under his breath as he started the old Winnebago back up.

Noodle looked down at her white uniform, noticing for the first time how much dark, dried blood had stained it. A lot must have been from the boy’s head, but the way it coated the bottom of her shoes was sickening. There was blood on her hands as well, which she had absentmindedly wiped on her trousers before eating. She wanted a shower.

Once her portion of the food was consumed, Noodle stayed seated on the floor, watching the boy’s steady, shallow breaths as they drove to a more secure location. There was silence again until Cortez started to cry out in attention, Murdoc taking a swing at the creature in retaliation. Having the silence broken in such a way caused Noodle to become on edge, not used to the loud sound. Without thinking, she jumped up to get the bird, Murdoc had missed, reaching out with one hand to take a grasp, only to stumble as the van came to a screeching halt.

The green man was in her face, a look of threat and hatred all over it, “You even think of touching that fucking bird and you are all on your own.”

Noodle blinked for a moment at the suddenness, but soon a smirk played upon her lips. The idea of him treating her malicious for a multitude of reasons, not to mention it was completely empty. Still, Murdoc seemed to be really passionate about the little girl not hurting his ugly bird, and it wasn’t Noodle’s intention to wind him up. In fact, she thought she was doing him a favour. “痛恨,” she muttered, trying to hide the smirk into remorse.

Without another word Murdoc went back to driving, Cortez cawing slightly as he moved closer to the man, seeming glaring at Noodle with as much hatred as his owner just had. Noodle stuck her tongue out childishly before also turning away, joining Russel on the campers bench.

These stowaways were going to be the literal death of Murdoc and he knew it; the sooner he ditched them the better. They had trekked quite a lot of ground, and Murdoc’s angry driving only added the miles on quicker. He noticed a sign for Los Angeles which he followed without consultation. Not that the others would have any other ideas about a stop off anyway.

It didn’t take they long for the camper to hit the Los Angeles traffic, something that Murdoc did not miss about the outside world. But as the buildings slowed increased in density, Noodle’s eyes were as big as saucers. She has never seen a city in real life before. Sure, she had training simulations in city settings, but that was just a backdrop of the program, she didn’t realise a place like this existed. Soon the feelings of anxiety started to surface again, and the girl looked down to the carpet, trying to ignore the mass of buildings outside.

Everything about this situation was so foreign to Noodle, and it was difficult to think of anything that wasn’t nervous because she hasn't built any other association yet. She only looked up when the van stopped once again, Murdoc had pulled into a corner of a busy car park. “Okay, this will be a good stopping point for now. I would be surprised if they hadn’t realised we’re missing now.” The man got out the driver’s door, leaving it open so he could continue talking. Cortez was already flying in the sky above. “I doubt anyone would have said anything about it just yet though. That person must be suicidal,” The man laughed at his own humour as he stretched out from the drive.

Russel was more cautious as he got out, scanning the area with a keen eye. “Yeah, this will do for a while.” Murdoc rolled his eyes, “You take Noodle and go find some way of getting money.”

“Why do I need to take the kid with the language barrier?” The older man said in a fit of frustration, pointing to the girl who was still unhappy about the new environment.

“Because  I don’t trust you on your own, or with the van, or with the boy,” Russel replied with a shrug like it was obvious, looking back to the small girl with a smile “Are you okay with that Noodle?”

The girl nodded in understanding, joining them both on the tarmac. She doubted either of them would understand her fear, as they are both older and probably had lives and experiences before the facility opened. Unlike her. “はい,”  the girl replied with a nod, looking over the other, grimacing man, “いい加減にして.” Without waiting for a response, she started walking, showing lots more confidence then she was feeling.

Following behind the little girl like she was the one in charge was a real irksome to Murdoc. Not just because he was the adult, and so he should have the lead, but also because it really placed a wedge in his plans. Russel was a lot smarter than he looked, and Noodle clearly held more power then her small frame should be able to process. Looking up, he was glad to see Cortez was scoping out the immediate area for them, but the sight of raven this far into the city was a rare sight, if anything the bird was drawing in more attention. _Fucking fantastic._

After they reached the end of the block, Noodle let the man take lead. Very uncertain of the junctions and everything in general, lucky for her Murdoc didn’t seem at all phased by the change of dynamics. Even though he was much more confident in the city, he was clearly unsure as well. Sure, he was a jerk who seemed to care more about that fucking bird then the fellow persons he has picked up, but he was stuck in that facility too. Kept looked behind a large metal door too. Seeming as Noodle doesn’t recognise him like the other two, she doubted he was allowed out his room very much. The girl wished she had something to say to show that understanding. But the language barrier only added to the difficulty in finding words.

“Okay,” Murdoc said after a while of walking, “I know a lot of ways the two of us could get money. But I think the big fella would kill me if I try and push forward a lot of them.” Noodle giggled at the joke, but the way the man was scratching his chin in thought suggested he wasn’t trying to be funny. “You not understanding me makes this so much more difficult,” clearly it was ignorance that he hadn’t realised Noodle’s reactions. Maybe he thought she was just really good at timing?

“Right, here’s the plan,” The man stopped and stepping into the entrance of an alley, Noodle followed suit. “You’re strong right?” To make his question clearer, Murdoc wrapped his hand around his non-existent bicep, over exaggerating the motion to create a clear image, Noodle couldn't help smirk in amusement as she nodded in response. “I need you to get hit by a car. Or, pretend to be hit by a car.” If there really was such an extreme language barrier between the two, Murdoc’s slow speech and wide hand gestures would have just made her more confused. Luckily she understood his words, nodding once again in understanding.

Noodle was able to take a _lot_ more than her fellow young females, her resilience one of her more incredible ‘abilities’. The girl could be hit by a car going full speed and would probably do more damage to the car. With another nod of understanding, Murdoc gestured to the road, silently telling her to go when ready. Noodle didn’t really understand how this would result in the pair gaining money, but the man seemed pretty confident this would work, and so the small girl ran blindly into the traffic.

It looked really bad, Murdoc actually wincing in horror at the sudden collision, scared for a moment the girl wasn’t actually able to be hit by a car and walk it off as she confirmed just now. But a hit like that could have killed a normal kid, and Noodle moved her arm from where she laid on the road, showing Murdoc she was fine, but not giving the game away as people from all over rushed into action.

Yells of help and panic filled the air as Murdoc also ran in as well. Unlike the other adults, what he was there for was using the extreme distraction to pickpocket the concerned crowd. This was second nature to him, it wasn’t the first time he’s done something like this (although not to this extreme) and he knew it wouldn't be the last. Having that kid around was a blessing in disguise.

An ambulance was called and someone with a basic knowledge of first aid checked the child’s vitals, Murdoc had already collected from everyone he could, catching Noodle’s half opened eye and giving a thumbs up. He slipped out the crowd before she got up, fighting her way out the confusion and bafflement that crowd now held. Before anyone realised what happening, Noodle ran back to the Winnebago, passing Murdoc’s relaxed walk on the way.

That had worked perfectly, and Noodle couldn't help laughing about that fact. Man, people could be dumb sometimes.

The girl waited outside the van for her partner to catch up, Murdoc giving her a bright smile as he came into view, “Great job Gremlin!” The man patted her on the back as he passed to reach the van’s door, “We got a great haul from that.” Noodle smiled in pride as she watched the man opened the side door.

Only to barely miss Russel tumbling out, his back hitting the concrete painfully. The unconscious boy now loomed in the door frame. His body slumped and eyes black, a trail of fresh crimson ran from his nose. Everyone was seemingly frozen in shock about the situation as Russel got himself up, grunting in complaint before Noodle stepped in to help. “Nice to see you up, kid,” The large man said as he got to his feet with Noodle’s help, looking up at the tall boy with a frown.

Noodle was shocked to his legs struggle to hold his weight, what were they doing to the boy before? “What happened?” Murdoc asked before she could, looking between the other two males was the same concerned frown Russel had.

“I was checking on him, making sure he was okay. But then he woke up just before you opened the door. Freaked him out. Am I right?” Russel asked the boy who was still stood there, awkward in his body and clearly struggling to wrap his head around everything. He looked as though he wanted to speak, opening his mouth for no words to come out. It was no surprise to Noodle the boy seemed terrified, having been literally ripped away from his past life, only to wake with a stranger checking over him and place that was almost the exact opposite of the facility it would be more worrying if he wasn’t.

Without seemingly any trigger, his black eyes turned to white, his body seemed to start shutting down with the change, body shaking and arms wrapping around himself like he was freezing cold. Noodle stepped up, standing at the top of the stairs that led into the camper, catching all of the boy’s confused attention. She was pleased to see some sort of recognition in his eyes. The small girl lifted her hand slowly, the boy didn’t flinch away like she had feared, “Friend.” She declared in her accented English, a warm smile on her face and hand offered in equally.

The boy watched her for a moment, the shaking stopping. He didn’t return any of the familiarities, instead retreating back into the Winnebago, locking himself in the small bathroom and away from the others.

“Brilliant,” moaned Murdoc with another roll of his eyes, “As soon as he wakes, he hides himself away! You might of well just left him there!” The outburst was met with deep frowns from both Russel and Noodle, which the man ignored in favour of getting in the campers communal space. Noodle was sure he muttered something about the “kid being as useful as a wet napkin,” under his breath.

She disagreed. He just needed more time to come to terms about everything. This was completely different to the reality he went to sleep in, of course he would freak out. The girl followed Murdoc in, and Russel then after.

All the wallets, purses and other items worth a nicking were tipped out onto the table, Murdoc already going through them, pulling out the cash, “I’m shattered,” he declared as he worked, Russel frowned at the clearly stolen money, but didn’t say anything as it needed to happen, “We can think about different clothing and the likes tomorrow. Most shops will be closed now anyway.” Noodle started to help pull the cash from their holds, adding them to the growing pile to the side, Russel didn’t help, but nodded at the suggestion.

Once every penny of usable income was removed, Murdoc moved away from the table, hiding the stack of cash under the three counted kitchen sink. The man opened the camper’s door again, but only to yell out “Cortez!” into the soft sunkissed sky above. The raven swooped in majestically, landing back on the passenger seat as Murdoc closed the door once again.

“Does the bird really need to stay inside the van?” Russel asked, settling himself down on the cushioned bench more, closing his eyes clearly just as exhausted as the other two were now feeling.

“The bird stays with me no matter what,” Murdoc said back dryly, altering the driver's seat as into a more laid out position. Russel only huffed out in acknowledgement, closing his eyes. “We will need to move as soon as we wake,” the green man continued as he made himself comfortable on the makeshift bed, “but for now, I’m dead to the world.”

Noodle looked around the small space, with Murdoc in the front, Russel on the bench and the boy locked inside the bathroom, Noodle wondered where best she could rest herself. Russel opened one eye, watching the girl for a moment before getting up, “You sleep here Noodle,” he moved off the bench, gesturing to where he was sat, “I’ll be comfortable anywhere.” In actuality, the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to position himself between the other two and Murdoc, still not trusting the older man.

The girl was in no position to complain, happily taking the bench with a “ありがとう,” and a bright smile. With everyone taking their spots, Russel now sat on the floor, leant against the wall that was between the side door and the front seats.

It wasn’t long at all until sleep took over them all.

* * *

 

The carnage from that morning was still unseen to. They didn’t have the time to clean up, getting those monsters back in their cells was a much more important task.

He was stepping over the bodies that littered the Mierda’s halls, his face showing nothing but disgust. “I’ve worked so hard getting these fucking freaks here. Now look at them,” he sighed, looking down at the deceased. With his foot he rolled a female's head, her face facing his. He looked down with a fake remorse, “Such a waste of resources.” With another sigh, he stepped over her lifeless body, opening the door to one of the few offices.

There was someone else already in there, digging through a filing cabinet, pulling out files and tossing them on their desk. “Are these the ones that got out?” the man asked, looking down at a certain ‘Murdoc Niccals’. Of course he was involved.

“Yes they are,” the doctor said, placing down the final of four files. “The other three were in my jurisdiction. I’m sorry, sir.”

The man only hummed absentmindedly, looking over the other three. He began thinking of a plan to get them back. “I need to make an announcement,” he muttered under his breath, gathering up the papers. Without looking back towards the doctor, he left the room, walking back through the bloody halls. Behind him the sound of bullets once again filled the air, adding another failed creation to the pile.

His office was on the ground floor, not in the dungeons where the abominations were hidden. It was well lit and open spaced, a large contrast to the floors below his. The button to the microphone was pressed, his voice announced to every corner of the facility, “I wish I could say ‘good evening’, but to be honest it’s taking everything in me not to just gas the lot of you.” He sighed, sitting down at the desk and putting his feet up, “As you can tell I’m not happy about what happened. Not happy at all. Four of you fucking God’s defects have gotten out-” he could hear a ruckus through the floor- “So!” he yelled over the noise, “You’re all getting punished in their places!” That shut them up, ”Don’t worry, it’s only until we get them back. Now, we have a lot of shit to sort out so if any of you even have a hair out of line, you will be added to the death toll.” He let go of the button without a sign off.

Now he needed a plan, there was a reason the patients weren’t allowed to talk to each other, if those monsters combined forces there was no telling what would happen. Those people were dangerous, and not in a Lenny vs. George type of way. No matter, they can’t run forever and he had a few tricks up his sleeve. An idea came to mind, and an evil grin appeared on his face as he looked down at poor Stuart Potts file.

The plan practically thought itself up.


	2. Picking up the Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group has escaped and have decided that it's time to enjoy their new freedom at a pier. Noodle and Russel enjoy the day as Murdoc hates every moment and 2-D wishes he was never taken out of the facility in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, its finally here and thank you to everyone who have stuck around for this lovely chapter. Big thanks to Winnieisnotabear to editing this chapter and being an amazing co-writer. This chapter took a lot of work and many different edits happen before it was ready for viewing pleasure. I will also be dropping my tumblr down at the end of the chapter if anyone still has questions for this story. So please enjoy the read!

The late afternoon sun turned to evening and then became night as the fugitives slept. None of them slept well or peacefully in the uncomfortable camper, but all of them slept soundlessly as the events of the day before caught up, pulling them each into a deep, undisturbed slumber.

Dark hands grabbed at Murdoc, no matter how much he struggled, the grip they held on was unwavering. They started to pull him down into the darkness, it wasn't time to go back, Murdoc had done a good job of keeping himself alive. A clawed hand appeared under his chin, forcing him to stare up at bright golden eyes. “My little child, I will have you in my grips soon.” The voice echoed around Murdoc, pushing him deeper into the darkness. “No one can outrun The Devil-”

Murdoc shot up quickly from his sleep, his hands curled up into fists, a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. Cortez looked over at Murdoc with slight concern in its small beady eyes. “It’s fine, bird brain,” Murdoc frowned, “Just that same fucking nightmare.” He placed a hand over his chest, wishing he could still feel a thumping heartbeat. But there was nothing.

Looking back into the now shadow coated Winnebago, he realised that the stowaways were still asleep with that weird kid still locked in the bathroom. “Man, I could use a double and a fag,” He said to himself, patting down his uniform for a pack as he slowly rose to his feet. The top of his head slightly scraped the ceiling of the Winnebago, so he was careful not to bang against it. Sleeping on a car seat like that was a bad idea, Murdoc's whole body felt sore and there was a large knot in his lower back. Cortez cawed softly at Murdoc who put out his arm so the bird could hop up. “Let's step outside for a bit,” sighed Murdoc, with the bird nodding in agreement.

Opening the driver door, the pair stepped slowly into the early hour chill. The sun was slowly peeking up between the concrete jungle which was met with a groan of frustration by Murdoc. He covered his eyes from the natural light, having been in that dark facility for so long, natural light, even as soft as a sunrise, burned his eyes. “Jeez, I forgot how bright that shit is,” Murdoc complained to Cortez who cawed again, stretched out its wings and took off quickly into the sky.

Murdoc watched as Cortez flew through the sky then glanced at the buildings around him. It was pretty much a ghost town at this point, maybe there was a gas station that was open so he could get a pack of smokes and maybe a bottle of spirit. He looked down at his outfit and let out a long sigh. There was no way, he could walk into a gas station with this terrible white uniform on. It was filthy. He looked like someone who'd just escaped, which is the opposite of how he needed to look. Cortez circled over Murdoc and let out a loud caw which caused him to look up, seeing the bird drew his attention to an alleyway in the distance. He walked towards it.

The narrow path was still dark, large garbage cans lined both sides of the walls as Murdoc walked along slowly. Cortez landed on one of the garbage cans and gestures to pile of blankets on the other side of the alleyway with his beak. Upon a closer look, Murdoc realised it was a (presumably) homeless man sleeping in the shadows, “Seriously? A bum? You couldn't find anyone else?” Murdoc questioned in a whisper and a frown. The bird simply narrowed its beady eyes, ruffling its feathers.

“Okay okay,” Murdoc retreated, hands halfway in the air as he walked over to the homeless man, waking up the person with a small kick. The reaction from the sleeping soul was more minute then Murdoc had expected, with a small grunt of acknowledgement, the man pulled himself up without much complaint. “Hey,” Murdoc started out loud before the man could move away, “I need those clothes,” He pointed down to the man’s unkempt attire.

With a confused noise, the man looked at himself, then back up at Murdoc, narrowing his eyes untrusting, “What do I get out of it?”

Murdoc reached into his pockets quickly, pulling out the stack of money he had sneakily took back for his own self-interest. “You get my clothes and this stack of cash.” Murdoc held out the money, and the homeless man pulled his clothing off quickly, holding them out in return. As Murdoc took them slowly, cash still in hand, he grimaced slightly at the smell. They weren’t too bad, all things considering, but compared to the highly sanitised facility, the fabric scent was unaccustomed and pungent.

Placing the new outfit on the ground, Murdoc pulled off his white overalls. It felt like he was getting rid of a parasite that had been feeding off him for too long. Like a layer of self the doctors had trapped him in. It was a new wave of liberation to hand the stained whites over, pulling the ‘new’, slightly warm, clothing on instead. Feeling more like himself then he had in years, Murdoc stretched out, running his hands through his raven black hair.

The homeless man, who was struggling to get the one piece on slightly, watched in confrontation, not understanding what is going on, but suddenly very aware of the red colour that stained the white, “Uh…” he said, looking down at the fabric he was pulling up his thighs, to the calm relief the stranger was portraying, “Mister?”

Hearing the man speak snapped Murdoc out of it, blinking slightly before his normal snarl was back in place. Before the bum could ask any more questions, Murdoc walked forward, pressing the notes into the man’s bare chest. “Cheers Mate,” Murdoc smiled half cocked before walking out the other side of the alley.

Not long after he could hear a, “Hey give that back you bird thief!” Echo from the dark as he continued down the street. When Cortez landed on his shoulder, the stack of money hung from his beak. Murdoc snickered nasally, “Sucker. Good job pea-brain,” Cortex cawed at the backhanded compliment once the man had grabbed the cash from his beak.

Finding the nearest store and buying his addiction was his first (and currently only) priority. Sucking in the nicotine filled air into his lungs without the fear of being caught and having the consequences that followed, was fantastic. That facility really took the fun out of everything and Murdoc was increasingly happy to be free from the confounds the longer he was out of them. He finished his cigarette on the way back to the Winnebago, tossing it to the ground, crushing it under his foot.

“Murdoc, there you are,” Russel called when the older man came to view, “Was half expecting you to be gone for good,” he smiled, as his large frame lent out the driver's side window.

Murdoc laughed back, more are that he hadn't thought to, then the fact he hadn't, “As if I would let you fucking miserable stowaways have the only ride that _I_ worked so hard to get,” the laughing quickly faded as he spoke, becoming wound up in the reality, Murdoc ended with a deep frown directed at Russel, once again feeling trapped within his circumstance.

“Yeah, well, get back in.” Russel told drily, pulling himself back into the Winnebago, making himself louder so Murdoc can continue to hear, “We need to decide where we're going next.” The small camper rocked under his weight as he made his way back to the table where Noodle sat sleepily and quiet.

With a roll of his eyes, Murdoc opened the drivers' door to follow the large man in, unable to stop himself mumbling, “You’re not the boss of me,” under his breath in a childish fashion.

He was a little surprised to see how normal the other two seemed to be acting. If he was being honest with himself, Murdoc was a little unsettled at the anticipated freedom. But Russel and Noodle seemed fine. It made him resent them more.

The little girl was sitting quietly at the table, looking over a map that was laid out with eyes full of understanding, yet she was still yawning into her open palm like a child. Russel, sat himself across from her, looking at the map with a lot less certainly, leaving Murdoc to stand oddly at the tables end. Out of place.

“Where you find the map?” He asked, holding onto the corners of the table with a mockery of confidence.

Russel only gave him a side eye, attention landing back onto the map, “Noodle found it in the glove compartment.”

Before Murdoc could make a dry comment back, the kid spoke in that language he still didn’t recognise. “これは最も安全なルートです,” grinned Noodle, running her small finger across the aged print. He doesn’t really understand what was so special about the route, he could see several that were more direct.

Not that it seemed to matter what he thought, because Russel was already giving her praise for it. Amazingly, not only are they hijacking his life, but they are also making decisions about _his_ plan. “Well, it’s a good thing we have you with us, don’t you think Muds?” Russel asked, glanced up to Murdoc.

No, he didn’t think it was a good thing to have her there with him. But Murdoc was too distracted by the new development of forced familiarity to challenge. “Muds? Really? We aren’t friends, mate.”

Russel cocked his smile a little, ready to take entertainment from the minor wind up. A noise from the bathroom cause three pairs of eyes to find the locked door. Murdoc straightened up, pushing his shoulders back, “I forgot about him. Why you think he’s hiding in there?”

“彼はおそらくあなたを恐れている,” Noodle said, narrowed her eyes at Murdoc, who glared back, “あなたは彼を蹴ると脅した.”

The man snarled nastily, “I can’t understand Gremlin talk.”

Rolling his eyes at the immature reaction, Russel interrupted before their bickering could escalate, directing the subject back towards the map. “We can stop here and get some clothes,” he pointed to the pier that was on the route Noodle had chosen. “Although it looks like you beat us there, Muds.”

All he got was a grumble in response. Murdoc was resenting the situation more and more. He moved with dramatic attitude back to the front of the van, “So we are going to the fucking sea-side?” He asked, ignoring the comment on clothing, not wanting to explain his actions to anyone (let alone someone like Russel).

“The pier, yes.” Murdoc looked back to see Noodle nodding viciously at her friend's confirmation, a smile so big he wondered how it fit on her face. God he hated it.

“Fine. But I’m only stopping there if that kid gets out the loo. We’re gonna need it some point, and I would rather not have to deal with him then.” If the others said anything back to that, he didn’t hear it as he moved into the driver's seat and rolled down the window. A loud whistle later and Cortez was back with them, the Winnebago being driven away from the busy car park.

 

Murdoc was focused on the road, a lit cigarette hung from his mouth as thought about how lucky they were missing the morning rush hour. Behind him, Russel tried to give directions, but the sound of Noodle knocking the bathroom door made it difficult to hear.

Impatient was building, and so the knocking got louder until she was near denting the door. Russel looked as though he was about to step in and stop her, but Noodle’s hand was already on the bathroom's door, the tight grip lifting the door and the lock breaking.

Inside sat the boy, wedged between the sink and the wall of the Winnebago. He stared up at Noodle with black, terrified eyes that turn white as he spoke, “Wh-where- where am I?” His voice was cracked and unused.

Before the little girl could respond, Russel was beside her. His large hand held her shoulder, telling her to stand down, “You’re out of that facility, Noodle here rescued you,” Russel’s friendly smile cause the kid to noticeably relax, but he was still no way at peace.

He looked between the man and the little girl, touching his head with a light hand, tracing over the wounds where the cables were ripped out. White, narrowed eyes found Noodles, “I was in there for a reason,” the spit in his voice caused Noodle to pull back, regretting what she thought was an act of kindness, “I didn’t want to be rescued.” But the accusing tone didn’t continue as the kid pulling his knees up under his chin, shifting his eyes to the blank, off-white tiles around him, “They're gonna be mad and he’s gonna take it out on me.”

Wanting to ask questions, Noodle looked up to Russel with eyes full of wonder, but the man simply shook his head, pulling her back into the main space and pulling the broken door as closed as it could be. “We need to give him some time, I’ll talk to him when we get to the pier.”

Although annoyed at the patient this required, Noodle nodded her head in understanding, Russel giving her a shoulder a firm but gentle pat.

Not long after Murdoc pulled up the Winnebago, parking it between a set of RV’s in an attempt at hiding it, unfortunately, the old rusted camper still stood out compared to the shiny, new motorhomes. “We’ve arrived,” the older man sighed as he turned off the engine. “Why are we here again?”

The question was ignored as Noodle pushed her way into the passenger seat, face against the glass and eyes wide with fascination as she observed the pier before her. Murdoc snarled a little at the joy she was radiating. The little girl couldn’t wait to go out and experience the attraction first hand, but knew they couldn’t until they dressed more inconspicuously.  “新しい服が必要です。人々はなぜ鉱山に血があるのだろうか,” the comment was made with a sigh, looking to Russel, who was also covered in blood, and then to Murdoc, who (although not covered in blood) looked just as conspicuous in his tattered, dirty clothing.

Ignoring whatever the girl had said, Murdoc lit another cigarette and stared out the front window, scanning the crowd, “It’s pretty empty. Must be the offseason.”

Russel joined the other two in the front standing between the two seats, “Since you’ve already dumped the uniform,” he said, looking down to where Murdoc was ashing in the cup holder, “You can go out first, find us something us three can wear.”

With a growl, Murdoc shifted like an angsty teen, crossing his arms and scowling, “Why do I keep getting stuck with the shittest tasks?”

 

Not wanting to respond and fuel the other man’s complaints, Russel moved over to the bathroom, showing Murdoc that he was getting on with his next task of talking the kid out of hiding. With a dramatic sigh Murdoc slid himself out of the driver's door, cash still in his back pocket. Cortez flew out after him and the pair made their way towards the sparsely dense crowd.

Except, Cortez was only his companion for a short while, the bird instead thinking that an infiltration on a seagull flock was worth more of its time. _Bloody bird_.

Now on his own, Murdoc felt odd amongst the people as he walked along the pier. He felt that any one of them could figure out that he had just escaped. The facility had ways of getting their people back, he had heard the stories about people who had escaped only to be seen a week later on their way to the top floors. He shivered at the thought as walked into a clothing store.

It was full of the typical tourist clothing, with beach shorts and t-shirts that say “my friend went to Santa Monica Pier and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”. Murdoc hated all of it, but he knew that they were in no position to be picky and dressing like tourists will make them stand out less. With a grunt of disapproval, he grabbed a handful of the plainest clothing he could see and dumped them at the register. He didn't know sizes, so tried his best to get a few, so at least something would fit.

After playing with a passive aggressive encounter with the teenage cashier, Murdoc made his way back to the Winnebago. The large paper bag that held the clothing was tossed to the ground as he stepped into the camper through the side door. He was surprised to see the boy sitting on the bench, knees curled up to his chest. “So you got the kid to come out?” Murdoc asked, looking over to Russel who sat in the driver seat, looking out into the crowds with Noodle.

“Yeah,” the larger man replied, turning in the seat, “It wasn’t easy. Can’t remember anything, can you kid?” The boy didn’t answer the question, only pulled his legs closer to his chest, Russel continued, with a small frown, “He’s not happy about being free, keeps talking about how it’s his fault.” Russel sighed.

Murdoc looked back over to the kid, sizing him up. In the larger area, he looked even smaller. Feeling eyes on him, the kid shifted uncomfortably, moving his arms up to cover the lower half of his face. The movement caused Murdoc’s eyes to fell on a white band around his wrist, without thinking, he reached forward and grabbed the boys arm, pulling it towards himself to read.

Russel was about to step in and tell Murdoc to back off, that he was scaring the kid more, but, surprisingly, the young male didn’t seem at all phased by the rough handling. Which was concerning.

“2-D,” Murdoc announced with a rise of his eyebrows. The kid looked up at him, arm still hiding the majority of his face.

“What are you talking about?” Russel asked fully turning himself to look at the other pair, Noodle also pivoted around with a confused look.

“That’s what the band says, 2-D.”

“Huh, 2-D, is that what they called you back at the facility?” Russel asked, deliberately speaking softly.

The kid yanked his wrist out of Murdoc’s grip before giving a small nod in response. He sent a glare towards the green skin man who outed his ‘name’. From where he was sat, the more these people knew about him, the greater the association. The greater the association, the larger the punishment.

With the lack of a real response, Russel pushed on the topic of conversation, realising that this was all they were going to get out the boy for a while. Pulling himself up, Russel went over to the large bag that was now spilling the fresh clothing onto the gross carpet. “Thanks for getting the clothes Muds-” Murdoc opened his mouth to criticise the nickname, but didn’t get the chance “-we should all change, the sooner we can smell the sea air, the better.”

Noodle was quick to bounce up, digging through the bag (that was nearly the same size as she was) and sorted through the clothing, choosing the other's garment and tossing them out. They all dressed silently, those still in the blood stained uniform thankful for the change. Murdoc didn’t seem to care less, but they blended in more as a group and although he didn’t want to admit it, he knew it was for the best to stick with them for the short term.

Once dressed, they started to file out of the camper. As 2-D stood in the sunlight for the first time in what must have been forever, Murdoc realised just how ‘off’ the kid looked. Even under the baggy hoodie, it was clear how skinny he was, like a strong wind would snap him in half. The bright blue hair wasn’t playing in his favour either, “Get the kid a hat, his hair is gonna get us unwanted attention. Actually, best get him some shades to hide those empty whites while we’re at it. You too big guy.”

Being called out like that was uncomfortable for both 2-D and Russel, but they knew Murdoc had a good point, and Russel went back into the Winnebago, coming out moments later with two pairs of sunglasses and a baseball cap. He put on his glasses and passed 2-D his stuff, who was a little more reluctant to put them on.

With the two biggest giveaways dealt with, Murdoc hummed happily. “There, we should blend in pretty nicely, don’t you think?”

Before anyone could agree, Cortez flew down to rest on the green man’s shoulder, cawing softly in his ear, and flew away again.

“Yeah,” Russel mumbled, the glasses blocking his narrowed eyes, “Real inconspicuous.”

 

The group made their way onto the pier, Murdoc was lighting up again, Russel was enjoying the fresh air, and Noodle had run off ahead, taking full advantage of the space to use up some of her pent-up energy. 2-D, however, seemed to despised being outside. He was trailing far behind the others, hands deep in the hoodie's pocket and head downcast to his shoes. To make matters worse, Russel kept giving him concerned glances every now and then, as though he was concerned the kid was going to throw himself into the ocean. Honestly, the way Noodle was acting she was probably a bigger concern.

Murdoc also noticed those concerned looks and had to bite his tongue to leave the boy alone. If he was gonna do something, who were they to stop him. As long as it didn’t draw attention, let the kid jump. Not that he thought the sulking brat would.

He was actually more concerned about being watched. It felt to Murdoc like every pair of eyes were on the group of misfits, like everyone knew that they were fugitives. Of course, this was ridiculous… wasn’t it?

Noodle was the first to stop, climbing onto the railing and looking out over the flat plane of water. Russel stopped as well, standing behind the small girl, ready to catch her should she fall. Murdoc leaned on the railing, blowing a large cloud of smoke into the fresh sea air. Even 2-D stopped, standing slightly away from the others, looking up to the horizon of blue on blue.

“私はビデオで海を見ただけです. 美しい,” Noodle commented with a look of amazement and wonder.

Russel gave her a sad smile, realising once again how much childhood she must have missed out on being at the Mierda Facility. “It is amazing. I was on my way to the seafront, when they got me. Thought I would never see it again.” His smile brightened to the realisation that his fear was irrational.

“I wonder if there are any sharks down there," Murdoc commented, looking down to the water where he had dropped his cigarette butt.

Rolling his eyes, Russel moved away from the railing, “You really know how to ruin a mood, don’t you?” The others followed him, and the group stuck more together as they slowly made their way further down the pier.

“Thanks, it’s a trait I pride myself with.”

“Can I go back to the camper?” Asked 2-D from the group's sidelines, “I don’t want to be here.” It was the first time he had actually spoke, and it took everyone a moment that the voice belonged to him.

They paused in their walking to watch the kid scuff his shoes on the ground, his face screwed like he was in physical pain. Russel was about to give him the go ahead, but Murdoc thought he could see past the kids fake pitty play, and spoke first, “No. We need to stay as a group.”

The way 2-D’s face pulled up showed Murdoc he was right on calling bull. Surely if the sunglasses weren’t hiding his eyes, the kid would be death staring him.

“Why don’t we get something to eat? If you still want to head back we can reevaluate?” Russel suggested quickly, not wanted the tension between the two ruining their first day of freedom.

“Fine.” 2-D muttered under his breath, lowing his head again as the group started walking again.

Noodle tried to reach a hand out to the boy, only to be shrugged off. She tried not to take it personally.

 

Where they ended up was the piers main restaurant, a moderate sized build with over priced food that paid more for the location and view. The girl at the entrance seemed to be the first person to notice how odd the group was, frowning lightly as they entered, and then sitting them slightly away from the other customers (which was more then fine by them). It did mean they had a table by the window through, which everyone seemed at least somewhat pleased by.

Noodle was quick to take a place next to the window, looking out over the sea like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Murdoc couldn’t relate, it was the same ocean they saw earlier the only thing that’s changed is the positions of the boats, but even they were the same boats. Despite this, 2-D also seemed eager to pinch himself a window seat, looking up at the few clouds and biting his non-existent nails. At least the clouds changed. Russel slipped in next to Noodle, which forced Murdoc to sit next to the sulking boy.

Looking down at the menu, Murdoc remembered what a bother it was to eat actual foods, opposed to the personalised slop they were all fed in their cells. He couldn’t be bothered with it, and so turned his attention to the drinks menu. Granted, alcohol barely did anything to him at this point but he had been drinking for so long, he needed to feel it in his veins. “This place has a shit selection of spirits.” He groaned under his breath.

Russel pulled his sunglasses off, “We’re here for food,” he replied without looking up, “Not to mention how you need an ID to get alcohol. Which we don’t have.”

“I’m not hungry.” 2-D declared, his menu still closed in front of him.

Both of the older males sighed, Russel in concern and Murdoc in annoyance. Noodle stayed looking at her menu, the guilty look back on her face.

“You haven’t eaten anything since we left.” Russel commented in a light tone and frown.

The kid only shrugged, pushing himself back into the chairs back, “I didn’t eat anything there either. Messed with my drugs.”

“Well you’re not on your drugs,” Murdoc said a little too harshly, causing the kid to glare through his glasses again, “So pick something and eat it. The last thing I need is a starved kid in the back of the camper.”

Russel sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose. If he knew getting out would be like this, he would have stayed. “Look, 2-D,” the boy moved his attention back to the larger man, “I get that you didn’t choose to be here-” the guilt on Noodle’s face grew “-but until us three are safe, you aren’t going back. I don’t know what you are going through right now, but I’m sure not being on your drugs is hard. I’m also sure not having something in your stomach will make that a lot worse. So please, pick something you like the sound of and eat it.”

The lecture seemed to work, and 2-D opened his menu with more attitude than most would think possible.

Murdoc realised that not eating himself would cause a contradiction no one needed, so he had a quick look over the food menu again, quickly picking the first thing he saw. Noodle swallowed enough of her guilt to start to reading some of the items on the menu as the group waited for the waitress to return.

Her pronunciation was little off, but over all, she was doing a really good job. “Pretty good Noodle. Were they teaching you back in the facility?”

“ノー,” Noodle replied with a shake of her head, “彼らは日本語で私に語った.”

Russel smiles in pride, “You pick up on things quickly then.”

In that moment the waitress came over to their table to take their orders. She had a show winning smile and mild mannered demeanour. It was the first time in a while Murdoc has seen an attractive female up close (all the female doctors he was assigned in the facility asked to be transferred after a week or two) and he wasn’t ashamed to say the images running through his head were sinful.

The snap of Russel’s fingers in front of his face ripped Murdoc out of his daydreaming, “Snap out of it Muds, your order’s next.”

“Don’t snap at me like a fucking dog,” Mudroc growed back, like a dog, before placing his order. He gave up trying it on with her after noticing her scowl. Wasn’t a surprise though, these idiots would put anyone off.

2-D was up next, and it was clear the kid also noticed the high bangability she possessed. Only he was a lot more of a twat about it. The kid could barely get his words out to order, all the attitude and passive confidence he had before now non-existent. His pale skin showed off his red tinted cheeks like Rudolph's noise in the fog.

It was no wonder the poor girl was quick to walk away after, her smile faded and shoulders square.

“The hell was that?” Murdoc asked 2-D, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. “It’s like you’ve never spoken to a woman before.”

“Says the man that stared at her like a predator.” Russel retorted under his breath.

Murdoc was about to argue back, but couldn’t think of a good enough excuse. “Whatever, probably thinks I'm fruit anyway. Hanging out with some dude and a couple of kids, wearing matching outfits like the fucking Brady Bunch,” he snarled instead.

The other man couldn’t help but chuckle at the weak reassurance, “Such an angry man Muds. You need to learn how to chill-”

“I am chill!” Murdoc defended with a growl. Russel only chuckled more, shaking his head.

 

When the food arrived at the table, they, unsurprisingly, had a different waiter. He barely put Noodle’s food in front of her before she started to eat. The girl was never one for cutlery, instead finding her hands a much more reliable tool, as they are for most things.

Murdoc made a face at the poor habit. “Just because you look like a gremlin doesn't mean you have to eat like one,” he commented nastily as the final plate was put down the waiter left.

Although 2-D was also a little put off by the child’s eating, it didn’t bother him enough to comment, and so hearing Murdoc do so put him on edge. “She ain’t a gremlin,” he defended, staring at the frowning man beside him, “Gremlins are green and mean, much like you Muds.”

The other two laughed at the quick response, causing Murdoc to scold deeply. “Good one kid,” Russel congratulated with a large smile.

“Fuck off,” Murdoc retorted with a snarl. He didn’t even look at his plate before he decided he’d had enough of this shit, getting up. “I’m not hungry.” Sure, he was being a hypocrite, but he wasn’t hungry to begin with, and spending any more time in these fucks company seemed like a worse fate than going back to Hell.

 

Murdoc left the restaurant before anyone else could say anything, pulling out another cigarette. Actually, he had almost ran out. He had only got them this morning!

The salted air was starting to feel heavy in his tar filled lungs and being on his own like this made his paranoia play up more. Why were they here? Stopping at a place like this the day after breaking out was a terrible idea! Why the fuck did he let that decision be made?!

Cortez cawed loudly from on top of the restaurant, pulling the older man out of his spiralling thoughts. “There you are bird brain,” he called back as the raven flew over to join him at the railing. “You managed to get those seagulls?” The bird started to tell Murdoc about his day, when the sound of the restaurant’s door disturbed him. Seeing who it was, the raven cawed out in annoyance.

“Hey,” the sound of 2-D’s voice caused Murdoc to internally groan, can’t he have just one moment to hear about his bird fucking up seagulls? “Mind if I wait out here with you?” The kid genuinely sounded unsure about what the answer to his request would be, which is a great base line to have with the people you are on the run with.

It didn’t get past Murdoc’s how much Cortez was eyeing 2-D up, but the man tried his best to ignore it, “I don’t care, you can do what you want, kid.”

The man pushed himself away from the railing and started to walk down the pier once again, figuring out if the kid really wanted to ‘wait out here,’ then he could walk for it. Surprisingly enough, 2-D did indeed follow Muds.

 

They ended up on a bench that would still allow the others to spot them when they were done eating, but was far enough away they didn't feel as though they were simply waiting for them.

Murdoc finished his cigarette, stomping the butt between the piers floorboards to the water below. “So kid, what’s the deal?”

2-D still had his hat and glasses on, hands back to being buried in his hoodie's pocket and sitting on the edge of the bench like he’s afraid to be comfortable. There was clearly something up, and he seemed a little too old to be going through hormonal mood swings (not that Murdoc wouldn’t understand if that’s what it was). Still, 2-D only shrugged his meatless shoulders which his head downcast. “What you mean?”

Sighing Murdoc questioned his actual interest and if it was worth the digs it will take to make the boy talk. He came to the decision that, if he was going to be stuck with those stowaways for a while, then putting in a little effort may be beneficial later on. “Well for starts you keep talking about the facility like a battered housewife talks about her husband.”

This caused the kid to physically close up more, shifting in his seat to put a little more distance between the two, “Do I?”

“Yeah, you do. Want to explain why you say you want to go back, but then act as though the thought terrifies you?”

“I take a lot of pills.”

“We all do.”

“No,” 2-D sighed, looking up to the sky, “I mean like, shit that keeps my powers in check.”

Murdoc was quiet for a moment. Because his ‘powers’ aren’t external like others are, he often forgets that he has them. Hell, he even forgot the others had them until now. With the deep desire of needing to escape that place, he forgot the reason why. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” 2-D shook his head, “I was in there for a reason. It’s not safe for me to be outside, to be around other people.” He took a deep breath, “I don’t know what’s gonna happen when the drugs wear off.”

Not knowing what to say to this, Murdoc pulled out one of his last cigarettes, taking his time to light it as he thinks of something to say. “I thought that place was meant to train people to control their… you know…”

“Not me. It was one extreme or another in there. I was either so out of it my heart couldn’t beat on it’s own, or I was given stimulants to make it worse.”

“Why?”

“You know what happens when questions are asked.”

Once again, Murdoc thought of nothing to say, breathing in his cigarette smoke, and then blowing it back out.

“Can I have one?”

The sudden question broke Murdoc’s empty thoughts. “What?”

“A cigarette?” 2-D asked again, looking at Murdoc’s with a pain stuck face. “Please?”

Not really knowing what else to do, he pulled the pack out and gave it to the kid. The boy took it with slightly shaky hands. “You smoke in the facility?”

Lighting the cancer stick, 2-D nodded, “When I can. Um, I- uh-” his cheeks started to burn red again, handing the pack back to the man. There was only one left now. “I- uh, I know someone who, you know, gets them for me.”

There was something off with the way the kid replied to that, and Murdoc thought there must be more to it, but Murdoc actually did have someone who would get them in for him, so who knows.

A thought suddenly came into Murdoc’s mind that might solve both of their problems. Because, to be honest, the kid was enough work like this, let alone with uncontrollable powers added to the mix. “We could leave you here? I’m sure they will check the area soon, it won’t be long until they send you back. I’m sure if you made it seem as though your involvement was unwilling, he’ll go a little easier on you.”

2-D laughed lightly at the idea of _him_ going easy, the smoke coming out of his mouth, looked out of place, “Kinda worth staying out to avoid the punishment.”  They both shivered at the thought. “Anyway, the others would never agree to sending me back.”

“Who says they have to agree?” Murdoc asked with a frown.

Before 2-D could respond Cortez cawed out, informing Murdoc the others were coming out of the restaurant.

“There you two are!” Russel called out with a content smile, 2-D was quick to drop the cigarette and Murdoc mentally strangled him for wasting half of it. “Talk about anything interesting?”

“Not really,” 2-D answered before Murdoc could, the man giving him a slight raise of his eyebrow.

Russel huffed out in amusement, “Why is that not surprising?”

Murdoc, not being able to give much of a shit, stood from the bench. “We need to leave the state. It was a dumb idea to stop here.”

Noodle frowns a little, looking up to Murdoc, “それは愚かな考えではなかった, それは良い日だった.”

“Noodle’s got a good point,” Russel agreed with a small smile, “Even if we are caught right now, it was a nice day that will stick with us forever.”

“I’m not here for good fucking memories,” Murdoc snapped back, but 2-D didn’t hear the rest of his rant.

Instead, his sunglassed eyes had locked into a glance of pure white amongst the colourful clothing the tourists were waiting. It was the same white overalls that patients of the Mierda Facility wore.

2-D recognised him instantly, and the kid couldn’t stop the small smile pull at the corner of his mouth, “No way…” he muttered to himself. Without wanting to draw any attention from the others in his escape party, the boy slipped away, walking mindlessly forward with his eyes stuck on him.

The small bicker had become an actual argument as Russel responded to Murdoc’s rant with his own. Noodle didn’t care for it, and so she was quick to follow 2-D as he slipped away. She didn’t know where he was going, but she knew it was better than the arguing happening beside her.

 

“-just because you need to fuel your alcohol addiction doesn’t mean you get to be a dick towards us!” Russel said, gesturing towards the two younger members of there group. “Wait,” he looked around fot them with a concerned frown, “Where are 2-D and Noodle?”

Murdoc also looked around, with no luck of noticing the two kids, “Fucking fantastic lard arse! Now you’ve gone and lost the other two!”

“Me? You didn’t notice them leave either.”

“I’m not the one playing parent! You’re the one that dragged them onto the camper!”

Russel held his hand up with a angry exhale, “Look, we can argue later, but right now we should probably find the other two before the facility catches up to us.” He started to make his way back towards the crowd, shaking his head as he heard Murdoc continue.

“Oh, so now you realise coming here was a bad idea.” Murdoc commented as he followed the other man.

“Muds, why don’t you do something useful and ask that bird of yours to look from above?”

Sighing in annoyance that he was once again being told what to do, Murdoc called out a “Cortez,” which caused some of the people in the crowd to jump at the sudden yell. Different people jumped when the bird flew down from the sky to land on the man’s outstretched arm. “Look for the two steps will you? Russel’s gone and lost them.”

Cortez squawked out a small noise in return, that Murdoc laughed at, before taking flight again. Not long after the raven was back, cawing softly to Murdoc.

“It found them,” the man called out to Russel who was still looking by foot. “They are in the haunted house.”

Russel started to walk that way, “Why wouldn’t they let us know?” He asked as Murdoc caught up with him, Cortez following above.

Murdoc shrugged, “Probably because we were arguing, they are only on an attraction, quit freaking out already.”

This was only met with a roll of Russel’s eyes.

 

Once they made their way to the haunted house, however, Murdoc realised how it may be worth a small amount of concern. Considering the haunted house ride was shut down, and by the looks of it, had been for while. “Huh, maybe they're not just on an attraction.”

With a tired sigh Russel walked towards the thin metal fence that sectioned it off from use, and unlocked the gate with ease. With Murdoc trailing behind (and Cortez trailing behind him) Russel made his way up the house’s door, pushing it open. “After you Murdoc.” He said, stepping aside to allow the other man to walk into the deliberately creepy building.

With a dry laugh Murdoc did step in first, hands in pockets and smirk on face, “Why, you scar-” his sentence was lost as he walked right into a cobweb, his hand flaying up to pull the strands away from his face.

It was Russel’s time to laugh, entering the abandoned building himself. “What’s up Muds, you scared?”

“Fuck off.”

In truth, the house was off putting for both the men. The whole point of a haunted house is to be scary, so when one is abandoned with props vandalised and windows broken, you can only imagine how off putting it becomes.

“Right, Russel says, looking around at three paths the entrance provided, one was the staircase, and the other two were the beginning and ending of the trolly ride, “Which way do you think they went?”

Murdoc also looked around, a small smirk on his face, “I would go right, looks like the ride used to go that way around.”

With a sigh Russel nodded, starting to walk towards the narrow opening of the ghost train.

They walked it in silence, Cortez taking his place on Murdoc’s shoulder. The ride itself seemed pretty basic, there was clearly a few spots for actors, or broken items that would once pop out, but overall nothing that either men would classify as scary. However, much like the entrance hall, some creative teens must have decided they would do a much better job at creating a ghost train then the original creators. They were right.

“I can’t imagine either of them walking down this for very long.” Russel commented after a while of slow, quiet walking.

“Yeah, me neither.” Murdoc agreed with a frown at some modified artwork of a ‘vampiric’ woman.

About half way along the tracks, was a door. Light shone out from underneath it, making the emergency exit seem to glow. “What are the chances they pussed out and quit halfway?” Murdoc asked with a laugh.

Not responding to the comment, Russel made his way over to the door, opening it with certain the kids would have definitly ‘pussed out’ (hell, Russel himself wanted to leave the grim experience).

Murdoc followed Russel through, looking back at the art those teens had created, prodigies, they really were. Because he wasn’t looking at where he was going, however, Murdoc ended up walking right into Russel’s back from where he stood in the doorway. “The fuck? Why you stop?” Murdoc asked with a wave of his hand before realising himself why Russel had stopped.

On the other side of the door seems to a large dressing room of sorts, probably for the actors that worked on the ghost train. In the middle of the room sat a young man with oil black hair and thin black glasses that sat upon his long green noise. He was dressed in the same white uniforms as the others had disposed of earlier that day, except his was clean and fresh. This told Russel and Murdoc that this man was not an escapee like they were.

Beside him was 2-D, who sat in a chair pushed so close to the others, their chair legs were tangled. His head was resting against the mans chest, and long green fingers ran through his blue hair.

“There you two are, we’ve been waiting for ya to show up.” The young man said with a smirk that gave Murdoc’s a run for its money. “Bossman sent me to get his pets, told me it was vital to get them back in one piece.”

Murdoc laughed, “The only way I’m going back there is in a body bag.”

“Oh, sorry.” The young man replied, removing his sunglasses with his free hand, hanging them gently in his neckline, “I think you misunderstood me. It’s only 2-D and Noodle he wants. You two? He couldn’t care less about.” It was his time to laugh, the thick NY accent making it extra garing.

This was the first facility member Murdoc actually recognised from around the building. It was clear this guy thought he was a big cheese, would always talk to other members with seemingly no care for the consequences. Murdoc didn’t like him then and he certainly doesn’t like him now.

“Come have a seat.” The young green man continued, gesturing a set of three chairs over to the side. Noodle was already sat in one, struggling against what looked like her twin… except it was clearly not human . “I would much rather this goes smoothly, wouldn’t want to mess up another set of overalls.”

Russel compiled easily, walking over to where Noodle sat in the bindings of her fake twin. “What is that thing?” He asked in a strained voice, eyes not leaving the non-human.

“Oh, don’t worry, it won’t hurt her. Bossman’s got an army of these things, weird right?” He was the only one to laugh, “Terrible companions though, don’t appreciate my humor at all.” The sigh he gave was almost enough to make Russel feel bad for the man that is threatening them. Luckily he had the common sense to not care very much.

2-D, on the other hand, frowned at the news, reaching an arm over his middle in a half hug. The sight made Murdoc hate the prick more.

“Thought I told you to take a seat?” The young man said with a frown towards Murdoc’s still standing form.

“You’re not the boss of me.” Murdoc snarled back, crossing his arms and standing his ground by the doorway. He knew this guy’s game, and he wasn’t willing to play.

With a sigh of frustration, the young man continued to talk, it was becoming clear that’s a lot of his thing. “Murdoc, right? Bossman’s really not happy with you. Impressive though, I’ll give you that. Killed that pretty lady you used to get out. It was tragic. Did it during dinner, for all to see. Really set an example.”

Murdoc frowned a little at the news, he knew she would die, one way or another, but he didn’t think it would have been like that.

“We’ve got a bet going on, me and the boys. About whether I’ll get you in alive, and whether or not they will do the same to you. I think they'll do worse.” The two green men stared at each other for awhile, Murdoc still refusing to bugde.

Finally, the young man was the one to give up, sighing with annoyance. “Fine,” he snapped his fingers, and another clone of Noodle came in from a side door, inside her hands was a screaming Cortez, he wasn’t in pain through, only distress. “Last chance Murdoc. Sit. Down.”

It was clear the slight of Cortez like that was making Murdoc stressed, his eyes widening and body going rigged. But still, he did not move towards the chair.

“I don’t know what you are trying to prove Murdoc, you’re only hurting yourself.” With another snap of his fingers, the Noodle clone started to squeeze the birds neck. Murdoc immediately began gasping for air he couldn’t seem to breathe in, Cortez was unable to caw. Only when 2-D started to look up at the silent competition did the young man snap his fingers again. Both Murdoc and the bird were gasping for air as 2-D’s head was pushed back into the chest.

Murdoc didn’t waste much time to take his seat after that, looking a little traumatised and even out of breath. He ignored Russel’s concerned look.

“Wonderful, I guess I should introduce myself, the name is Ace. It's a pleasure to meet the people who broke out my little doll from his case,” smirked Ace as he ran one of his hands over 2-D’s jaw. His eyes scanned the other three, the smile on his face never fading. “Let's get started, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave some love and comments if you have any questions. Also I'm leaving my tumblr name, its thefoxyroxie and I will be able to give some basic background info on the characters.


	3. Almost Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is stuck in the haunted house with Ace, the first person that Bossman has sent after them since the escape. How will the gang get out of this situation and continue their escape to get of the state and far away from the facility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Its finally here! I know it's been forever, Winnie and I worked really hard on this chapter so you guys should be excited to read this. Anyways if you have any question I will be dropping my tumblr name again at the end of the chapter. So enjoy this read! Love you guys!

_“Seems like you’ve gotten yourself in a bit of a pickle.”_

_“Why did the young green guy choose this place? Seems a little corny.”_

_“What’s up with those clones of the girl?”_

_“The owner of the facility, that’s what’s up with them.”_

_“That man makes me sick to my stomach.”_

Russel sat as quietly as he could, glad that Murdoc was taking all of Ace’s attention. It seemed all the shadows had an opinion about the scene that was unfolding, they were difficult to ignore.

_“How long is this going to last? I was in the middle of something you know!”_

_“You aren’t just going to sit there. Are you Russel?”_

He didn’t know what he _could_ do. Beside him, Noodle sat struggling against the hold of the clone. It didn't seem to be a battle of strength, simply an issue of positioning. Maybe if he could help her break free-

_“-You would send the child in, to do the dirty work?”_

That did seem immoral…

“You could let us deal with it.” Del clearly thought this was the best option. But the man within the shadows was getting Russel's reluctance.

He shook his head in response, not willing to reply with words in fear of drawing attention to himself.

In front of him, Murdoc was really holding his ground. It suggested there was a lot more to the standoff than simple defiance. Looking around the room, it was clear to Russel that the environment wasn’t going to be much help-

“-What are you talking about?!” Del exclaimed in annoyance, Russ flinched slightly as the man's voice became louder, “We’re in a haunted house Russ. The only light source is in the center of the room. This is the perfect environment for you.”

_“I don’t like it in the slightest.”_

_“Whoever vandalised this place need some serious counseling.”_

Del has a point, this was a perfect location for… well, him… But Russel couldn’t do it. He couldn't risk it. There must be another option.

The snap of Ace’s fingers drew Russel away from the voices echoing in between his ears. Beside him, Noodle stopped struggling, also curious about the snapping.

Another Noodle clone emerged from the shadows, Murdoc’s screeching bird clenched tightly in her hands.

_“The fuck is happening now? You would think that thing was being gutted with the noise it’s making.”_

_“Haha, look how scared the green guy -the old one- look how scared he looks!”_

_“Christ, it’s only a bird.”_

Murdoc did indeed look scared shitless. As Ace snapped his fingers for the second time, the clone started to, very slowly, squeeze the birds small neck.

With a last gasp of air, Murdoc's hands reached up to smooth his neck like he was the one under the clones grip. Both Cortex and Murdoc were being strangled through Cortex's body.

“Holy shit,” Del said in Russel’s ear, it seemed like everyone in the room wanted to say the exact same thing. Even Ace seemed surprised at the reaction.

But Del wasn't concerned in watching for long, realising the opportunity that had been presented. It was his turn.

A shadow is the absence of light rays. Therefore, a shadow can be formed at the speed it takes for the light to become absent.

Keeping this in mind, Del was able to project his being upon the shadow created by Russel’s large frame. He could move easier in the darkened room then in direct light, and the conditions of the room meant only someone who was watching closely could see Del's shadow move along the tattered floorboards between Russel's and Noodle's chairs.

Reaching his hand up the side of Noodle’s chair, Del's form was able to merge with the minuscule shadows created between the two Noodle’s. Slipping between the metal and skin, Del was able to give some of his own mass to expanding the space. It wasn’t a lot, but it should be enough for when the real Noodle struggles again, she can break free.

Del started to make his way back to Russel. He was quick enough that Murdoc was only just starting to to lose his ability to stand straight, his body starting to give as his oxygen supplies run out. Everyone’s attention was still on the older green man. No one realised Del's move.

At least, no one with colour to their eyes.

2-D must have opened his eyes at the lack of noise. The way his head was pressed against Ace's chest meant he was staring right at the shadowy figure of Del. Being spotted made him freeze for a moment, which only allowed 2-D to have a better look.

The kid started to straighten up, confusion on his face, and a question on his tongue. But Ace didn't give him the chance, pulling him back in. Del disappeared behind Russel.

With another snap of his fingers, Ace ended the birds suffocation, leaving Murdoc to gasp and take a seat beside Russel.

_“What did you do Del?”_

_“Never mind that, did you see the thing with the bird?”_

_“I used to have a bird. Wasn't like that though.”_

Russel also wanted to know what Del had done. But surpressed his anger by passing a look of concern to Murdoc. The man was breathing very heavily.

“Look Russ, it’s not like you would have done something on your own.” Del defended anyway, “Now the girl can do her thing.” Russel only huffed in response.

“Wonderful,” Ace started now everyone was settled. The sound of Ace's voice being directed to the captured three snapped Russel back to reality. “I guess I should introduce myself, the name is Ace.”

_“What a dumb name-”_

_“Shh, I’m trying to listen.”_

“It's a pleasure to meet the people who broke out my little doll from his case,” Ace continued with a smirk as he ran one of his hands over the short stubble of 2-D’s hair, his fingers lightly catching the scabs where Noodle found the wires. 2-D must have a quick proliferative system.

_“Well, that’s gotten creepy quick.”_

_“Like it wasn’t off before?”_

The young man’s gaze scanned the other jailbreaks and Russel tried to stay as straight-faced as he could. He was wondering how long it was going to take Noodle to realise her restraints have been weakened.

Ace’s smirk was still in place, his hand petting 2-D like they were watching daytime TV. “Let's get started, shall we?”

In that moment Noodle bursted out of the clones hold.

She grabbed the robots arms and flipped it over her head. It slammed against the ground with such force the wooden floorboards warped under the robots cracked metal body.

Noodle shoved her foot into the back of the clone's head, grinding it with such magnitude the metal simply became dust.

But still, Ace’s smirk did not move from his face. He looked at Noodle like she was a gift on Christmas.

The little girl’s green eyes met his pink. She straighten into an attack position waiting for Ace to push 2-D crudely to the ground before striking forward.

Noodle ran as fast as she could into the still seated Ace, her fist pulled back in anticipation of hitting him with such force, Russel was scared it would end the man.

Only, when her fist finally made contact with Ace’s smirking face, the force moving nothing more than the hollow skin of his waiting cheek.

The room froze as Noodle’s entire strategy, the other’s main hope, had gone completely out the window. Ace laughed as her pushing the girl's fist away with a finger, “Something wrong Princess?”

She took a step back, fear filling her veins as Ace stood, smirk growing. He pulled his own first back and without a second beat Ace beat down into Noodle’s face.

The pain in her nose was like nothing she ever experienced before. She is indestructible. She was indestructible. But Ace had just broken her nose.

Russel had a face of pure horror, watching as Noodle could only lift her hands in front of her face to soften the second blow. She fell back against the weathered wood.

_“Did he just hit her?!”_

_“Oh my God!”_

_“Kill him Rus!”_

“Let me at him!”

“No.” Russel hissed back through a locked jaw at Del’s angered request. Yes, it was horrendous seeing this horrible man do this to a little girl, but Russel needed to be careful. He didn’t know what caused the weakness in Noodle. He didn’t know if it would hurt Del.

Looking around for another option, Russel was glad to see that Murdoc shared his feeling of disgust. At least Russel had some sense of the other’s moral compass now. The miss-matched eyes of Murdoc was glancing between Ace and the bird still in the clones hands.

After a few more blows, Noodle’s face was bloody, and so was Ace’s fist. He looked down at the fresh coat of red on his knuckles, standing straight to catch his breath. It’s not often Ace himself has to be physical.

Noodle was a heap on the floor, taking the break in the assault to roll into a defence position.

“Sorry about that Hun.” Ace said in a tone too empty of emotion to be truthful. He lent down beside Noodle, easily getting through her defence to place a hand under her chin, pulling the girl’s face into the light so he can inspect it. The pain was apparent on her dazed face. “Bossman ain't gonna be happy that I hurt ya. But he'll understand it's, uhh, collateral damage.”

Taking a hand full of the girls tie-dye T-shirt, Ace pulled Noodle up to deal the final blow. He once again raised his fist.

A weak hand wrapped around Ace's forearm. 2-D stood with tears running down his face, looking down at Ace’s kneeling leg, not meeting the man's eye.

“Stop.” 2-D whispered. His voice unsure and timid, “She's just a kid Ace.”

Ace let out a hollow sigh and turned his head to glare at 2-D, his fist still up and Noodle still in his grip. A small stained demand escaped his lips, “Back up.”

With a look of distress, 2-D shook his head, his body strained like it was a struggle to stand still. He tightened his grip on Ace’s arm.

The green man seemed outraged that 2-D hadn't followed his instructions. With a sudden change of target, Ace let go of the tie-dye shirt, dropping Noodle back to the ground. His now free hand swung around, back handing the boy's face. “I told you to back off!”

2-D took a couple of steps back as he tried to process the strike. It was nothing new in the pair's dynamic, but it still came to a surprise.

The room was quite once again and 2-D slowly brought his hand up to the fresh red mark on his face. His milky white eyes met Noodle's as they turned into a voidless black.

He could feel the crimson drip from his nose to his thin lips. The room started to shake like the world around it was crumbling.

_“Earthquake!? Quick Russ! Get under the chair!”_

_“That's not gonna help, get into the door frame!”_

“Shut up, all of you! It ain't no earthquake,” Del looked around the shaking room from his place behind Russel, watching the scene unfold with a small smirk. He chucked, “Seems like Blue has himself a bit of power. We can use this to our advantage.”

Ace groaned, pulling himself to his full height, “Really? You’re freaking out over one little slap?” His look wasn't one of fear, but of frustration.

2-D’s black eyes squeezed shut as the room continued its plaster cracking vibrations.

“You best stop it doll-face,” Ace said, voice strained through closed teeth into a false ease, “Before the whole place comes down and you crush us all.” As the man spoke, he took a few steps towards the 2-D, only for the kid to backup the same amount of steps, his eyes still closed tight.

2-D shook his head through the pain, the two moving out of the rooms center in unison. Ace would step forward, and 2-D would step back.

Over the sound of the wooden support beams weakening, 2-D muttered through dry sobs, “You started it, you always start it.” The building started to chip it’s plastered walls, the decorative wooden panels cracking. The boys blackened eyes opened, tears were wetting their corners, “Make it stop Ace, please.”

An evil, amused smirk was given in return, “What’s wrong blue-bean? Can’t control your powers?” Ace stopped advancing, 2-D also stopped. “You know, there’s a place out there that can help with that type of predicament.”

They stood about five feet apart, 2-D’s arm was trying to reach out but it was as though he physically could not extend it. “Please Ace,” 2-D begged again, “I didn’t want to leave! I promise I didn’t!”

“Then why are ya sticking around with those bozos?!” The pent up anger in the young man was apparent, the change in the young man’s tone caused the rooms shaking to break off some of the ceiling, the coffered parts falling to the ground.

Russel and Murdoc still sat in silence, their will to intervene was dampened by the unfolding dynamics.

Murdoc’s eyes were glued to the Noodle clone, Cortez still squawking with purpose. Russel, was fighting with the shadows that confined in him. They had decided that the best way of saving the day was being let loose. But Russel couldn’t do that. He refused.

_“We could hold the building up Russ.”_

_“I will help fix the girl, I was a doctor once.”_

_“What about that bird? I’m sure one of us could get the horrid thing out.”_

_“Maybe then the old guy will actually do something.”_

_“What I want to know, is what the exact nature of that bounty hunter’s power is...”_

A loud crash outside suggested the ‘earthquake’ was affecting more than just the inhabited room. It seemed more damaged was happening away from the group.

Noodle couldn’t hear very well through the ringing in her ears and the sounds of the slowly collapsing building. But as Ace walked further from her, the stronger she felt. Although the damage done was still there, she felt indestructible again. The pain numbed to a manageable state and she was able to gain back control of her vitals.

She started to pull herself off the ground, catching the attention of Russel and Murdoc. The voices in Russel’s head cheered in glee to the girl fighting back from Ace’s doing.

Wiping the blood off her face with the edge of her tee, Noodle stood proud in the dust that was falling around her. She looked about the room slowly, her keen eyes finding the best approach. She started to walk towards the robot holding the bird. The bird Murdoc was using as a justification for not doing anything.

Thankfully Ace was still distracted by ripping into 2-D. The boy’s back was now flat against the shadow covered wall, hiding his face from the verbal abuse being spat at him. Still though, they remained several feet away from each other.

Russel kept his eyes on them, making sure Ace remained distracted as Noodle made her move.

“You know they are like this normally,” Del commentated dryly as the other voices fought over what they should do. “Even if we weren’t all in that hell hole, they would still have their time together. Like salt in the sea.”

Somehow, Noodle was able to stealth around the robot, approaching the cloned girl from behind. In one swift movement, Noodle grabbed the robots arms and ripped them from its body. Cortex out of the robotic grip as Noodle flung the metal limbs behind her. A war cry escaped from her mouth, overriding all other sounds in the haunted house. The robot made a sound not-diss-similar to the ones Noodle cried under Ace’s hand.The voices in Russel’s reality shuddered. Russel shuddered. Murdoc shuddered.

Ace froze.

The Noodle clone turned around to look at it’s real counterpart. Noodle didn’t hesitate to dive a fist into its chest, ripping out the power source and dropping it to the ground.

Ace turned around as the clone fell flat to the ground. His green face was red with anger.

Their eyes met, and Noodle saw something in Ace that made her bulletproof skin crawl. Not even a beat passed before he was smirking again, walking from 2-D like the argument they just had was forgotten. The boy crawled himself into a ball, head tucked in behind his knees.

“Huh,” Ace started, the tone almost comedic, “for a pretty little thing you sure are resilient…” He looked around to see Cortex flying around the ceiling in distress, Murdoc was risking a smirk of his own. Ace lost his. “You guys really know how to piss me off, don’t ya?”

Noodle reached down to drag her lifeless copy back up, she managed to place a solid kick to the back of the hard metal, driving the armless body at Ace.

He stumbled against the forceful impact. The gripless soles of the uniform shoes caused him to fall onto the ground. The robotic girl landing on top of him.

“This is your move Russ!!” Del exclaimed loudly, his shadow slipping around the dark areas of the room, scooping out the playing field one last time before disappearing back into Russ. “We could end this now if you just stopped being just a pussy!”

“No.” Russel spoke out loud, and Murdoc side eyed him quickly at the sudden outburst.

“Fine!! But if this goes to hell, it’s all of us on the line!” Del seemingly disappeared from Russel’s psyche.

But there wasn’t time to mourn him, Murdoc was using the small opportunity to run for the exit, the bird automatically following after him.

_“That traitor!!”_

_“In my day, he would of been slaughtered for retreating!”_

_“You should take this opportunity too Russ. This clearly isn’t going to go well, no matter what happens.”_

As soon as the man left his chair, the shaking grew a tremendous amount. One of the walls collapsed, exposing another haunted themed attraction.

That stopped Murdoc in his tracks.

Looking back into the room, his eyes caught 2-D’s, the boy stood in front of the collapsed wall. The wall he was just cowering against. More blood ran from his nose.

2-D’s breathing was scattered and erratic, hyperventilation was only moments away.

Noodle ran to where Ace was still laying. Russel got up to join her, confused at his lack of movement, but weary of the symptoms being close to him causes.

There was a small puddle of blood under his black, combed back hair. It seems the weight of the robot and the flat landing on the wood did some damage.

Noodle pressed two of her small fingers to the man’s neck, “彼は生きている.”

The room’s shaking calmed down sightly, but Russel was still concerned about the roof. His eternal companions shared this concern.

Murdoc was reluctant to come closer, shooing Cortex away as it tried to join the group. “We should kill him.”

“NO!” 2-D yelled louder then intended, another pulsation in the ‘earthquake’. The roof started to cave in. Russel wanted to push all of them out of the building and into safety.

The boy slowly joined the small party standing over Ace. As he closed in on the unconscious body, the rooms shaking subsided. 2-D kneel down beside Ace, lifting his dead weight hand to press against his own blue subbled head. His eyes went white once again, and the shaking stopped.

“何だって？”

“He’s gonna be pissed when he wakes.” 2-D sighed as though that answered Noodle’s questioning tone, the hand still pressed against his head.

Noodle pushed her foot into his side lightly, her confused look still on her face. It caused the young man to softly groan. 2-D was quick to drop the hand and move back, thenceforth the others.

“Well, let’s get out of here before he wakes up then,” Murdoc suggested.

“Let’s get out of here before the roof comes in,” Russel suggested back, his eyes still monitoring the ceiling that was slowly creeping closer to them, it was any second now until the whole thing came down. The other three also looked up to a dangerous sight.

Without any other prompt, Russel started to walk towards the exiting door. Noodle and Murdoc were eager to follow, but first Noodle removed the last intact clone head.

“You aren’t keeping that,” Murdoc declared with a frown.

“試して、私の老人をやめる,” smiled Noodle. She stuck out her tongue and pushed opened the door that led out of the room.

“What about Ace?” 2-D asked, still standing near the body.

The three stopped. “What about him?” Murdoc asked.

“He’ll be crushed if we leave him here,” 2-D’s eyes were full of confusion at having to explain.

The other’s shared a look. “良い.” Noodle replied with a shrug, the pain in her face still apparent.

Russel sighed, wiping a hand down his face.

_“Yeah, let the fucker get crushed!”_

_“But… Murder is bad, and not saving someone is-”_

_“That doesn’t work here!”_

_“What if we do save him? What happens after that?”_

_“Bossman still wasn’t us dead…”_

_“But will Ace?”_

Russel sighed. He looked down at Noodle and Noodle looked up at Russel.

With a look of annoyance, Noodle reentered the room, pushing the clone's head into 2-D’s weak arms and pulling the limp body of Ace from under the robot. She wasn’t careful in anyway, pushing the body over her shoulder much like she did to 2-D not one day ago.

Satisfied his only ‘friend’ was being saved, 2-D willingly followed Noodle to the others waiting on the ghost trains tracks. They didn’t speak as they exited the house.

Unlike with 2-D, Russel didn’t try and take the man from Noodle’s rough carry.

 

Noodle took the lead once Murdoc found that the tracks were somewhat barricaded by the ‘earthquake’. Cortex often tried to take over her role as navigator, flying through gaps before Noodle could make them big enough for the group to climb through. It was getting on her nerves.

“あなたの鳥に後退するように言いなさい!” Noodle snapped as she once again dumped Ace on the ground far enough away breaking through the wreckage.

Murdoc reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette, only to realise he ran out. “Either learn English or stop talking to me. That nonsense you come out with is giving me a headache!”

2-D was really falling behind, and Russel was scared of him losing the group, it was dark and the path Noodle was going wasn’t obvious. Luckly, the kid normally caught up before she was able to create the next path, when he did show up, 2-D would often hang out closer to where Ace was dropped.

This happened again as the other’s argued in their multilingual tongues (Russel wasn’t happy to hear Noodle using the English saying “Fuck off”, but it was a high stress situation, and Murdoc did deserve it), as predicted, 2-D emerged from the darkness and went straight for Ace. He straightened the man up some before sitting beside him. The boy was using his hoodie’s sleeve to wipe as much of the blood from his face as he can.

Russel was cautious to approach the pair, it was clear the man’s powers (whatever they were), were weakened by his unconscious state, but they still affected Noodle as she carried him. 2-D looked up, his white eyes narrowed.

“Hey.” Russel offered with a slight smile, standing a foot or two, too far away for normality.

2-D said nothing back, only shifted slightly closer to Ace.

With a light sigh, Russel tried again, “I’m sorry you’re mixed up in all of this.”

There was lightly huff of an attitudinal laugh, and Russel once again found himself questioning 2-D’s age. “Whatever,” was all the boy said as he continued to wipe his nose with his sleeve.

_“Don't think that kid likes you.”_

_“Who cares, we are all the friends Russ needs.”_

_“Lame!”_

_“Are we not going to talk about the fact that the big boss wants us dead?”_

_“I agree, that is a topic of concern.”_

Russel slapped a hand gently to the side of his head. “Stop talking, all of you,” he groaned as he gave up with 2-D, turning away to join the others as they argue.

 

It wasn’t long until they reached the outside. Noodle had to kick a hole through the wall, turns out, she was just trying to find an outside wall, not a door. They easily got past the wire fence that stopped the public from entering.

Ether it was a stroke of good timing, or the way Noodle knocked Ace’s head against a support beam when she went back in for him, the roof collapsed, crushing the house under its wake.

The group looked upon it with blank faces. The public around them screamed in fear and surprise. Russel wondered if they knew about the ‘earthquake’ that caused it, or if it was literally contained to inside the house. Either way, “We should leave before people realize we're responsible.”

2-D’s cheeks fired a little, drawing attention to the red mark that was quickly turning to a bruise. It wasn’t the first, and it won’t be the last mark Ace had put on him.

Noodle pointed to the picket fence stopping people falling into the water. “水泳.”

The three males shared a look, none of them were good swimmers. Noodle noticed and sighed, “桟橋の下.”

Russel looked down to see between the pier’s floorboards, they weren’t far from the shore, and he was good enough to drag one of the others if they just couldn’t. “Yeah, that a good idea Noodle.”

“What?!” 2-D exclaimed in panic.

“It’s only to the shore,” Russel translated, “It’s not that far.”

“Don’t tell me you can’t swim,” Murdoc huffed as he walked with Noodle to the fence. They needed to be quicker, they were going to get caught.

“I can barely walk!” 2-D defended, “And what if there's whales?!”

Russel couldn’t help but laugh, “There ain’t whale’s this close in.” He joined the other two, Noodle was about to dive in, Murdoc pressed Ace’s body against the fence to make it look less like a dead body.

If 2-Ds eyes could get whiter, they did, “There _are_ whales?!!?” His voice somehow grew higher in his panic, looking down and lifting his feet, dancing to get away from the water beneath the beems.

It was drawing in attention, and it’s not like they didn’t have enough of that. “Listen here kid,” Murdoc hissed, leaning in as close as their far distance conversation will allow. “You wanna get back to the facility, yeah?” 2-D nodded, panic and terror still in his aura. “Well if you stay on this pier any longer, security is gonna come investigate the house. People are gonna point to you and you will be arrested. Do you know what will happen when you are arrested?” 2-D shock his head. “You will go to jail. Not the facility. Jail. They aren’t gonna be too kind about your _abilities_ in jail. There are a lot worse men there than this dirtbag here," He pointed to where Noodle was pushing Ace over the side. "Does that sound like somewhere you wanna be 2-D?” Once again, 2-D shook his head, the dramatic panic about whales forgotten about. “No, me neither. Now get in the water, and I’ll get you the shore.”

During the speech, Noodle and Russel had already gone over the edge, but what Russel heard, he was impressed? He was swimming ahead as Noodle waited for Ace’s still cold body to be dropped down to her. It was a debate in her head whether or not he should accidentally drown.

Noodle managed to overtake him to the shore, which was fine as he wasn’t a good swimmer. She had to go back out though because 2-D started to panic about seaweed, thinking it was a whale fin, nearly drowning both himself and Murdoc. The two of them managed to get the kid to the sand though.

As 2-D calmed himself down (Murdoc hovering over him incase something else dumb happened) Russel turned his attention towards Noodle’s still battered face.

Now he was actually able to look at it, it was amazing she was able to push through and get them all to safety.

The girl noticed his looks, and moved her hand to her nose, toughing it gingerly. “私は痛みを感じたことがない.”

Russel raised his hand up, “May I?” Noodle nodded. But Russel didn’t touch Noodle, he just got close enough it looked like he was touching her. Instead, the shadow between his hand and the girls nose became denser. Ace was behind Noodle, and so the effect he had on her must still be there, because there was the sound of a small crack and Noodle yelled in pain, automatically punching Russel in the face.

He can’t say he blamed her. But he didn’t think that was going to happen.

_“What? Her nose is broken, and it’s not like you can give it actual medical attention. No, this is all we can do. We just have to hope it heals without interference.”_

_“She’s normally indestructible, I doubt she’ll accidentally knock it.”_

“ごめんなさい!” Noodle exclaimed, jumping up to try and help Russel.

Luckily for him, she was under the effects of Ace, so the punch wasn’t too bad. It still hurt though.

“No no. It’s fine.” Russel tried to laugh as he recovered from the shock.

 

Meanwhile, Murdoc was leaning against one of the piers beams, watching as 2-D picked stones out of the sand. He had stopped freaking out a while ago, but now he was sulking, which Murdoc thought was worse. At least you can do something about a freakout. Above, the sound of cars driving suggested the cause of the building collapse was being investigated. It also gave Murdoc a conversation started.

“So,” 2-D jumped slightly at the break in the silence, looking up to see Murdoc before looking away again, “That’s your powers, huh?”

“I don’t know what that means.” 2-D muttered, pulling his legs up to hug them. From where he was sat.

Murdoc sighed lightly, scratching his chin. “Well, you mentioned earlier that you needed to be locked up. Well, I kinda get it now.”

That wasn’t the right thing to say, 2-D turned further away from Murdoc, hugging himself tighter. “And that was with Ace there…”

“Actually, that’s something else I wanted to ask about,” 2-D moved a little in interest, “What’s the deal with that guy? You were real goo-goo eyes over him.”

That really wasn’t the right thing to say. 2-D pulled himself around, leaning back on his arm to glare at Murdoc. “Mind your own, Mudz,” the boy spat back.

So this wasn’t what Murdoc wanted when he started the conversation, but if 2-D wanted to argue about it, then so did Murdoc.

He pointed a long green finger to the still (multiple reconcustioned) unconscious Ace, “This guy" -he gabes his thumb towards himself- "is here to kill me! I don't think I have to mind my own when you are cuddling up with the guy! The only way you could have made it worse is by straight up snogging him! ‘My boyfriend the bounty hunter’!” Murdoc was shouting, grabbing the attention of the others. Cortez glared at 2-D, matching his owner's anger.

2-D was being put on the spot, something he really wasn’t that good at. He scrambled up, finding it somewhat difficult on top of the sand. “It ain’t like that!” The kid defended, “Not that you would understand. You’re too worry about saving your own ass! You don’t care about anyone but that stupid fucking bird!” 2-D pointed to Cortex who made a vile noise in return.

Russel was suddenly between the two of them, sighing like a dad at his wits end. “None of this matters. If you guys are going to yell, we are going to get caught, or worse, wake Ace up. We need to leave the state. Let’s just get back to the Winnebago.”

Everyone glared at each other for a second, Murdoc at 2-D, 2-D at Murdoc, Russel and Noodle at the pair of them. Finally, Murdoc backed down, turning towards the road. Noodle was quick to follow as was Russel, but 2-D didn't budge.

“What about Ace?”

“What about him?” Russel asked, turning to look at 2-D’s awkward stance.

“We can’t just leave him here.”

Noodle sighed an angry huff, Russel caught her shoulder. “Go with Muds, I’ve got this.” She nodded and continued up.

2-D was confused at the tone change, it felt like he was going to be delivered bad news.

“Look, Dee-” the kid relaxed a little at the use of the nickname “-you can stay here with him if you want-”

“Why can’t he come with us?”

Once again, Russel found himself questioning the boy’s age. He ran a hand over his bald head, “Murdoc was right, Ace was sent here to kill him, and take away you and Noodle. I don’t think his intentions are gonna change when he wakes up.”

“I’ll talk to him!” 2-D begged, moving towards Russel, “I’m sure it’s not-”

“No 2-D.”

The kid stopped, pulling back slightly at the firmness in Russel’s voice.

“Ace is not coming with us. I understand you want to go back, and I’m not going to force you to come with us. But we don’t want to. We don’t want to go back there. The Mierda Facility wasn’t helping us 2-D, and the way it looks from here it wasn’t helping you much neither.”

2-D looked down, Russel continued, “Stay with Ace if you want, but we have to keep moving.”

Without waiting for a response, Russel walked away towards the Winnebago.

_“You shouldn’t just leave him like that Russ.”_

_“No. The boy’s got to grow up at some point.”_

_“You think he’ll stay with that horrible man?”_

_“Maybe.”_

 

By the time Russel joined the others, Murdoc was smoking a pack of cigarettes, pacing the length of the van and Noodle was drinking a slushy, sitting on the roof with her legs swinging in the doorway. They must have stopped at a corner shop on the way.

“Where's the kid?” Murdoc asked with a light frown. Noodle stopped swinging her feet, looking at the two other slushies beside her. One for Russel, and one for 2-D.

“He’s not coming with us.” Russel pulled himself into the back of the Winnebago, “We need to keep moving, Ace will be awake by now.”

There was silence as the other two climbed into their respective places. Murdoc took his time adjusting the seat and mirrors.

“Which way are we going?”

Noodle took her time looking over the map that was still laid out on the table top.

Russel knew what they were doing, even if they didn't acknowledging it themselves. They were giving 2-D time to change his mind. To show up and climb in before they sped off. Russel sighed at Noodle’s pointless finger tracing the roads.

“Route 66.” The two looked at him, “That's where Noodle said earlier.”

“はい,” Noodle replied with a small nod. The slushies long forgotten.

With a sigh of annoyance, Murdoc nodded, starting the campervan. Like the first time he got in it, the engine didn’t want to start straight away. Russel knew Murdoc knew that this would happen. He tried not to get angry at the time bidding.

On the ground sat the robotic Noodle head, and now Noodle’s jobs were over, she slipped off the bench to the ground to join it. Russel couldn’t overlook how exhausted she looked.

Sure, she was ‘fine’ now, but she has had a hell of a day, and one hell of a beating. Everything else aside, how could they allow someone who could do that to a little girl join them? Noodle only now allowed herself to feel the exhaustion Russel can witness, her body rolling over to the side, half heartedly looking over the clone.

It wa a while before Murdoc could get the campervan going. He was angry at it by the end and ready to get going, 2-D or not. When the old engine roared to life, the foot was on the peddle and they were pulling out of the car park.

Only to nearly run over 2-D who was standing blank faced in the middle of the car park exit. Murdoc blew the horn before the others noticed what was going on and 2-D jumped, climbing into the back of the Winnebago via the passenger side and very awkwardly over the passenger seat.

He didn’t say anything, and neither did the others as 2-D went straight to the bathroom and closed the broken door.

Murdoc started the drive towards Route 66.

 

Neither 2-D or Noodle really seemed up to conversation, and because of their silence, they were more likely to hear Russel being alone. As to disturb the least amount of people, Russel moved to the front, there was at least music that could drown his conversations out.

Murdoc was listening to a radio play, something Russel couldn't identify, but the volume was down low as to not reach the back, but he seemed deep enough into it that Russel joining him in the front startled him.

The older man sighed in annoyance, glaring at Russel and changing the station, “Fucking awesome, I'm stuck with the fattie because the kids are giving him the silent treatment,” growled Murdoc.

“Fattie? We’re being insulted by an old green man who hangs out with a crow. How the mighty have fallen,” sighed Del. Russel shook his head a bit then stared out the window.

“Feeling bad Big Guy? Ya shouldn’t, all this is that green weasel’s fault. Well, technically it was _him_ , but I’m not gonna start ranting about being locked up, even though-”

“Good, I don’t want to hear it.” Russel interrupted, resting his arm on the window ledge. Del appeared in Russel's reflection a frown on his face.

“Whatever,” muttered Murdoc immersing himself in the road. He was acting sketchy again, Russel hoped he hadn’t snuck in a drink while he was absent.

He turned his attention back to Del’s reflection, feeling he was allowed to whisper to himself due to Murdoc’s distraction, “I know you lot are, but I’m in the mood to talk. Not to mention, they will think I’m crazy if I do.”

_“You are crazy.”_

_“If you were sane then we wouldn't be here.”_

_“Doesn't that green guy talk to his bird, you can't get any crazier than that.”_

“That's true. Murdoc talks to his bird and the bird seems to understand him. Now that’s crazy!” laughed Del, pointing over at the raven that sat on the dashboard. His reflection sighed in relaxation, sinking into the reflection of Russel’s seat.

_“You should be more worried that we could die!”_

_“Death is bad.”_

_“Where would we go if you died?”_

“Again, that is a good point.” Del declared sitting back up, “Seems like the big boss doesn't care too much about your life status-”

_“Only because you didn’t show him what you can do!”_

_“Well, not to our full potential.”_

“Anyway!” Del took back control, “He wants Murdoc dead either way.”

_“Unsurprising.”_

“But Noodle and 2-D? Ace said they were his pets... You need to learn more about the Big Guy and I think Blue has the most information on him,” sighed Del, once again relaxing into the chair.

“I don't think he wants to talk about the ‘Big Guy’. I mean he gets defensive when you talk about that Ace guy and that power he yields, I do not want to piss him off and make him use it,” mumbled Russel.

Del shrugged a bit. “Well then, I guess we are just stuck huh? Have a nice car ride bud.” He did a quick peace sign then disappeared from view.

Russel let out a long sigh, reaching behind his chair as much as he could, just able to grab the map from the table. “I guess I’ll make out which exit will be the least conspicuous,” muttered Russel.

“I honestly don’t think I want to listen to anymore of your plans,” Murdoc groaned, glancing a glare at Russ, “You guys are just crashing _my_ plans and now I have to deal with the Green King who, by the way, is trying to KILL me.” He shook his head, “Knew I should have ditched you guys as soon as I could. I don’t need this mess.”

Russel frowned at the confession of Murdoc’s not so hidden feelings, “If ya ditch us, we’ll also be after your ass Muds.”

Laughing low at the threat that was just made towards him, Murdoc couldn’t help but cause more conflict, “You can only hide behind that girl for so long. The kid is already on the fence, and soon Noodle’s gonna realise her real potential. They might be on your side now, but it’s a dog eat dog world out there Russ. Satan knows I won’t be there when your ‘plan’ crumbles around you.”

“Go on then,” Russel encouraged with a bored sigh. “What’s your amazing plan?”

“Look, I’m not here to be friends or buddies or pals. I’ll keep it civil with you all for now, but just know when your plans fail, mine will thrive.”

Russel laughed a little at this.

“Whatever,” Murdoc said defensively, turning up the rock song that was playing, “Just tell me which turn it is to get out of this fucking state.”

 

They drove like that for a long time. In silence. Silence was not a stranger to the members of the Mierda Facility.

Hours later, Noodle was the first to break the comfortable yet antagonizing silence.

“お腹が空きました,” Noodle sighed, moving to the front to lean against the passenger seat.

Murdoc looked around, “What she say?”

“She’s hungry.”

“Again? We ate at the pier.”

“私はまだ成長しています.”

“What?”

“We should stop for food. If Noodle is hungry, I’m sure Dee is as well.”

“Oh,” Murdoc’s eyebrows went up in surprise, “He’s Dee now is he? Since when did the brat get a pet name?”

Russel sighed, “Just stop at the next place.”

Noodle smiled sleepy and moved to the back.  

Not long after, Murdoc was pulling up at a gas station. Sure it wasn’t ‘real food’ but it was something, and something was better than nothing.

Pulling next to the gas pump, Murdoc and Russel climbed out, Murdoc yawning with stretched out limbs before pumping the gas.

Noodle also jumped out the side door, the clone’s head in hand.

“What are you doing with that thing?” Russel asked, starting towards the store.

The girl stopped in her tracks, holding the head out in front of him. “どうぞ、これを取り除いてください,” She smiled brightly a little too bright for comfort. Russel frowned.

“Yeah, sure,” the head was being forced into his hand. “How are you feeling, anyway? The guy didn’t hold back on you, did he?”

Murdoc started to eavesdrop, despite the big talk, he kinda liked the Gremlin.

Noodle shook her head, noticing Murdoc from behind Russel. With a small cough to clear her throat she replied, “Better.”

Both men nodded. “I’ll deal with this then,” Russel said, holding the head up slightly in gesture.

Behind him, he could hear Murdoc try and strike a conversation with Noodle about actual fighting techniques.

“So that’s the robot head,” Del spoke, taking control of Russel’s hands by plunging them into shadow, rolling Noodle’s copy’s face between them, “You don't think they can like track us with that thing do you?”

Russel shivered a bit at the thought and headed over to the dumpster that was behind the gas station. “I hope not but it could be the reason Noodle wants us to get rid of it.”

Del watched as Russel gained back control and threw away the robot. “Blue is approaching you.” He whispered and disappeared.

Russel noticed the shadow that appeared beside him as he turned to faced 2-D. “Hey.”

“Murdoc told me I should come out. Says he can only deal with one kid at a time,” sighed 2-D. He kicked the ground with the tip of his shoe.

“He’s not the most hospitable no,” Russel agreed dryly. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

2-D rubbed his arm. “I'd rather you didn't. I know what you are going to ask and it's not a subject I want to talk about.” He turned around and headed towards the inside of the gas station.

“Crash and burn,” laughed Del, ”that kid is locked up like a vault,”. He patted Russ gently on the shoulder before Russel followed after 2-D.

The gas station clerk looked up at the two when they walked in, but then looked back down because honestly they could care less about two random weirdos walking into a highway gas station.

2-D looked around at nothing in particular, eyes slightly full of wonderment for a greasy gas station. Russel watched him for a second before grabbing a few chip packets and catching up to him.

“Best part of road trips,” Russel stated, smiling warmly, “The truck stops.”

“The what?” 2-D asked, coming to a stop looking at Russel with a confused look, “We aren’t in a truck.”

Russel didn’t know if he should be sad or laugh, “A truck stop? A pit stop? A stop in a road trip.”

“Oh.” 2-D nodded. “Guess you call it that because of truckers?”

“Yeah,” Russel nodded, “that’s it.”

They started walking again, “Have you never been on a road trip?” Russel asked after a moment of silence.

2-D shrugged, “Can’t remember if I had or not. You know, drugs…”

It was clear the kid was in a downer then normal mood, and Russel wonders if he should bring up the decision he made the kid make or not.

Turns out, 2-D was happy to just pretend it hadn’t happened, “All of this looks like it’s made of plastic. How can people eat this stuff?”

He looked up at Russel like an alien that hadn’t ever eating the delights of American junk foods. And then he makes the connection, 2-D wouldn't have remembered a time before the facilities personalised paste. “You can’t diss it till you try it.”

2-D pressed his lips in response.

“When was the last time you ate. I don’t mean real food, I mean at the facility. How long have you gone without substance Dee?”

2-D shifted at the question, but it seemed to be the right thing to ask. “Before they put me in comatose so… Last Tuesday?”

Russel’s eyes fell close. “Shit.” Del whispered, the other’s agreed with the statement.

“2-D you need to eat.”

In that moment, Murdoc came in, ignoring the pair and heading straight to the coolers. Suddenly 2-D not eating was second priority to Murdoc drinking and driving.

Russel headed over that way as well. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Getting booze,” Murdoc replied like it was obvious, “isn’t it obvious?”

“Can we get wasted too?” Del asked in Russel’s ear, “I’ll be our first drink of freedom.”

“We aren’t free yet.” Russel replied loud.

Murdoc stuffed, “Speak for yourself. I’m drinking like before I was put in!”

Del laughed at Russel’s outburst.

Murdoc looked down at the selection of cheap beers like it was fine wine at a winery. 2-D was still traipsing the isles, disgusted at the bright red puffed potato bits.

“Ahh, ‘Stag’!” Murdoc said, pulling out one of the bottles, “This found out my powers, y’know?”

Russel frowned, shaking his head and backing away, looking at the soft drinks instead.

“Oh come on Russ!! We can be our true selves when we’re freed with booze.”

“I know Del,” Russel mumbled in response, “That’s why we aren’t doing it.”

“Where’s your spark gone Russ? You used to be fun!”

“Funny what a year of being locked underground and experimented on can do to someone.”

“Honestly I’m surprised you’re all so sane.”

“What’s that shadow thing you talk to?” 2-D popped up behind Russel, frowning that confused frown of his.

“Have you picked out some food yet?”

2-D frowned more, “So you are talking to the shadow.”

Russel rolled his eyes, heading towards the cashier and grabbing anything he can get his hands on, “I have no idea what you are talking about Dee.” He made sure to pass the meal deal section to get something more sustainable for the kids.

“You can’t just act like I’m not asking you a very justified question.”

“Like the questions we ask you? I wouldn't think of it.”

That caused 2-D to smile a little, “That’s fair.” He looked up to where Murdoc was still picking up beers. “Are you driving then?”

“So you know about drunk driving laws but not about road trips?” Russel laughed a little. “Just grab some stuff - any stuff - we need to get moving.”

2-D nodded and it wasn’t long until the three had over a hundred pounds of junk and cheap booze on the counter.

“-and, uh, three packs of Lucky Stripe please.” Murdoc added at the end of the cash-in. The cashier seemed as though they didn’t want to have to turn around, but did and added the three packs to one of the bags.

 

The three headed back to the camper to find Noodle who sat quietly at one of the benches but was eager to help load in the stuff.

“Did you really need three packs of cigarettes Muds?” Russel asked with a raised eyebrow, placing the packs on the table.

Murdoc shrugged, “Well one of them’s for the kid.” He pointed to 2-D who went very red in the face.

Russel frowned but didn’t say anything, at least Murdoc was able to get something out of the boy.

As soon as the beers was pulled out of the bag, Murdoc was downing one. Now was Russel’s time to say something. “You can't drive and drink so I’ll take over the wheel.”

Murdoc narrowed his eyes at Russel then let out an annoyed sigh. “Fine, but don't think this will be a regular thing.” He sat on the free bench with an old man noise, “Cortez, keep an eye on him, will you?”

The bird cawed in response, hopping back to it’s spot on the dash.

Russel followed to the driver's, having to adjust everything. Noodle came to join him, sitting on the passenger side.

“だから次の停留所は何ですか？その男が現れる前に私は桟橋で楽しく過ごしました,” Noodle smiled sweetly.

“I don't think Muds will let us stop anywhere again. Plus who knows who else _he_ has after us,” sighed Russel.

Noodle nodded her head grimly. “確かに、彼は私たちを取り戻すまで止まらない。彼はあまりにも簡単にあきらめる人ではありません,” On the lower note, she headed back to the table, taking her hand at the new food options.

2-D pulled a face at how eager she was to try it. “Does it not taste fake?”

Noodle simply shrugged, offering her crisp packet to 2-D. He grudgingly took one.

Russel started the Winnebago and Murdoc growled. “Of course it works for _you_!” He took another deep breath, opening himself up a pack of sweets.

They were all silent as they pulled out of the station and back on the highway. It wasn’t until Murdoc opened a pack of ciggies did conversation trigger.

“You want one Russ?”

“Yeah, go on then.”

Murdoc sent 2-D to hand it over, the man too lazy to do so himself. Russel was somewhat surprised to see the boy already half way down one. “If we are all smoking, maybe we should open a window. For Noodle’s sake?”

“Noodle’s indestructible, remember?” 2-D commented as he retook his seat.

“Yeah, except around that prick Ace.” The conversation didn’t continue after that. A window wasn’t opened.

* * *

When Ace woke, it was to the feeling of the cold water submerging his legs. Unsurprisingly, he was confused. Last he knew, he was about to pound that brat to the second inch of her life. The sun was setting, and the sound of people being happy surrounded him. At first he thought it might be heaven, the sun was in beams across his face, and his body was numb and light. But then the pains came in. The aches and bumps he couldn't recall receiving.

Ace was slow to sit up. His head feeling… liquidly. Like a hangover when your in your mid 30’s after like your seventeenth drink.

His white uniform was grey and covered in soot, oil, and splinters. He was under the pier, and he presumed the Santa Monica Pier. But how did he get here?

Ace made his way up above the wooden flooring, passing through the couples and adult groups of the evening crowds. When he got to the haunted house, he realized what must have happened.

That doofus 2-D brought the place down, and the others must have save him from being crushed under the caved in roof.

There was police tape sectioning it off, but it’s impossible for them to really know what’s happened.

Ace sighed, conflicting thoughts running through his head.

As he thought, he reached up at the collar that was locked around his neck, scratching lightly at the skin underneath. He needed to call Bossman.

There were payphones on the pier, and asking a stranger for change was easy.

He punched in the only numbers he knew, and lent himself on the frame, looking out to the crowds.

Everytime the phone rang, the more anxiety the man felt build inside of him.

“What?”

Ace frowned at the less than gracious greeting. “Oh, hey Bossman,” Ace tried to sound in control and confident, like he always is. But no one can be confident or in control when addressing _him_.

“You best be giving me good news Ace. I’ve had a very tiring day cleaning up after that degenerate Murdoc.”

Ace was quite for a moment, pulling the phone away from himself and shifting uncomfortably.

“ **Ace?** ”

He put the phone back to his ear. “Yeah I’m here Boss. I uh, I met them at the pier. Just like you said I would.”

“And what _happened_ at the pier?”

“They um… They uh…” Ace didn’t want to say he failed. His hand reached around to pull slightly at the collar.

“ **3** … **2** -"

“They got away Boss. All of ‘em.”

There was silence.

Ace kept scratched at his neck, the already chaffed skin starting to bead with blood. Bossman was pissed and Ace was grateful they were only talking over the phone.

“Why do you constantly seem to disappoint me Ace?”

“Look Bossman, it’s okay I’ll get them next-”

“Did I say you can speak?!”

Ace was silent.

“I ask you to do one thing for me, to bring them back to me, and you are so **fucking stupid you can’t even do that?!** ”

A tear stung the corner of Ace’s eye, “I’m sorry, Boss.”

“Sorry won’t cut it if you don’t get my toys, boy.”

“Yes Boss.”

“If you tell me bad news again those fucking wastes of resources friends of yours will get your punishments. Do you understand?”

“Yeah Boss. I understand. I’ll get the brats back Boss, just please don’t hurt the boys.”

“Just do your fucking job and I won’t have to.”

The phone went dead.

Ace stood there for a long moment, trying to compose himself, to calm down.

He didn’t blame them of running. But that's not how things work.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave lots of comments, kudos, and love! For any questions, feel free to message me on my tumblr at thefoxyroxie. See you guys in the next chapter! 💗

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story, if you have any questions please do feel free to ask. Also share some love.


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